Electric cars heading for Teesside

Nov 30 2010 by Emma Greenhalgh, Evening Gazette

A new breed of electric cars are silently heading for Teesside. Greenhalgh reports from the driving seat on the charge of the electrolyte brigade.

THE new breed of green motors promise minimal running costs and with zero emissions drivers can sleep easy knowing they are doing their bit to save the environment. But are we ready for the monumental switch over that will change motoring as we know it?

The Gazette was invited to Nissan’s Sunderland test track for the launch of a North-east wide project called Switch EV, that will see 35 electric vehicles trialled with companies and homeowners across the region - and descending on Teesside next summer - to see whether they are up to scratch.

It is being funded from a £25m investment from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Department for Transport. The vehicles will be leased to organisations, local authorities, car clubs, taxi fleets and individuals for up to a year who will rate them on their performance and overall driver experience.

The Nissan Leaf leads the charge - which has been shortlisted for the industry’s Car of the Year 2011 - the Avid CUE-V, the Liberty E-Range, and the Smith Electric Vehicles Edison Minibus.

As the driver of a 1999 reg Ford KA, I’m used to my somewhat decrepit but reliable little motor making the daily 20-mile round-trip from my Hartlepool home to Middlesbrough workplace. But I do clock-up some miles at the weekend with a 140-mile round trip down to Leeds to see the other half, so I was eager to see whether an electric car would be up to the job.

Nissan’s Leaf was the one that caught my eye and at £23,990, with a Government incentive of £5,000 already included, I was surprised to discover it was actually the cheapest of the range that we looked at.

From the outside, the five-door hatchback looks smart, but not a million miles away from mainstream cars. Inside it’s really impressive, with a built-in LCD monitor counting down the miles to re-charge and plotting the nearest charging point.

Fully charged the Leaf is said to go 100 miles, but this can decrease depending on use of in-car heating and driving style.

I’ve never driven an automatic so after checking the stick was in neutral I went to turn the key.

But in the place of the gearstick were three buttons and by pressing one the car starts up - not that you would know it because it’s completely silent.

This was a bizarre feeling because when I’m driving my little S-reg Ford, I know I’m driving it - and although I can feel the bumps of the road at least I’m in control.

I almost felt like I could sit back and watch this car drive itself.

By putting a little pressure on the accelerator we glided off and the vehicle, which is powered by lithium iron batteries with a capacity of 24kWh, quickly picked up speed and was incredibly smooth and nippy.

As I gained speed up to 70mph it started to hum quietly, almost contently to itself, and I thought “I could get used to this”.

The Leaf, in fact, is so quiet that below 15mph it makes no noise at all, prompting Nissan to artificially create its hum at lower speeds to warn pedestrians of its approach.

The Leaf, which has a maximum speed of 90mph, also has an “Eco” mode which allows the driver a few more miles out of the battery but significantly reduces the acceleration capacity - leaving it feeling heavy.

But back to “D mode” and we were away.

But for all the girls out there, the Leaf, which is now available to order, does not come in pink - but red and black are available.

I also had a go with the Avid CUE-V which would set you back £45,000.

The Avid seemed to take a fair push on the accelerator to get it going and then it produced a whirling noise that was a bit disconcerting as a driver.

But I was assured Avid are working on reducing the noise factor.

Next was the Edison Minibus which I have to say did look less smart inside, but seemed sturdy and spacious and accelerated with ease. With a seating capacity of nine, the minibus came at a cost of around £65,000 to £70,000.

On display was also the Liberty E-Range 4x4. At £120,000 I barely dared breathe for fear of scratching it.

Although I did not get the chance to drive this one - probably all the better - I had a good look and the inside was stunning.

Covering the distance that I do these cars would probably not be the one for me, and would better suit a city dweller. But having said that I can see the Leaf taking off over the next few years - as long as people have faith in the financial payback.

Personally, I’m quite happy to hold my guns for a couple of years while the trailblazers test the waters.