A new, four-seat all-electric car is about to go on sale in the UK. Based on the Citroën C1, the Citroën C1 ev'ie is converted to electric power by the Electric Car Corporation Plc. ECC is accepting orders for the £16,850 vehicle starting tomorrow. What do you get for your hard earned pounds? A driving range of between 60 and 70 miles and a top speed of 60 mph. A full charge takes about 6-7 hours from a standard domestic 13 amp socket and costs 90p. Those numbers should appeal to at least 500 people in the next year - that's the amount that ECC expects to build in the coming 12 months, with a conversion schedule of between 2,000 and 4,000 vehicles in 2010.
The ECC is made up of British auto industry veterans, including people who have worked at Ricardo, Jaguar and Ford. Details after the jump.
Source ECC
The Electric Car Corporation Plc launches the Citroën C1 ev'ie
The UK's first 4 seater 'all electric' production car
The Electric Car Corporation Plc (ECC) announces the launch of the UK's first 4 seater, 'all electric' production car, which is available to buy today.
The launch coincides with the Government's announcement to support and subsidise electric car use and their commitment to make the UK 'a world leader' in producing and exporting electric cars. This is further supported by the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, who has announced his plan to introduce 25,000 'juice points' (charging stations), for electric cars throughout the city.
Called the Citroën C1 'ev'ie', this is the first all electric, 4 seater car, to offer the purchaser the comfort, performance and a full range of standard safety features expected from a petrol car. With a range of 60-70 miles when fully charged and a top speed of around 60mph, it provides the driver with a pleasant and completely "normal", yet silent, driving experience, but at a fraction of the running costs.
The C1 ev'ie can be fully charged in 6-7 hours from a domestic 13 amp socket at a cost of around 90p, making it an ideal city car for either professional or domestic use.
The Citroën C1 ev'ie is assembled in the UK from the donor car. Over 50% of the value of the car originates from the UK assembly, creating UK employment and a technology leadership in electric vehicle production. ECC expects to produce around 500 C1 ev'ies over the next 12 months, rising to between 2,000 and 4,000 units in 2010, dependant upon demand and government support.
Xavier Duchemin, Managing Director of Citroën UK commented, "We are committed to providing greener alternatives for motorists and are delighted to be supplying ECC with C1s for this exciting project."
David Martell, Chief Executive, ECC plc, added, "We believe this is the first serious alternative to a petrol or diesel car. It drives just like a petrol car and has excellent capacity for use in any town or city in the UK".... he continued ..."the key to building a successful electric car is an efficient battery management system (BMS). ECC has developed an advanced and sophisticated system, which when coupled with regenerative breaking, can provide the driver with much greater range and better performance."
The C1 ev'ie is way ahead of other electric cars having excellent functionality, performance and refinement and is available to buy today. Interest in the C1 ev'ie is expected to be high.
It is priced at £16,850 and is available directly from ECC (www.eccplc.com).
No comments:
Post a Comment