New York plugs in first electric car solar charging station

Sustainable energy company Beautiful Earth Group has this week unveiled New York's first solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station, which will allow the firm to recharge its electric MINI E using zero carbon energy making it one of the few cars in the world to run exclusively on solar power.

The off-grid station features solar photovoltaic panels and has been built using recycled, decommissioned steel shipping containers.

"It never ceases to amaze me, when I get behind the wheel of this 95 mph sports car, that it doesn't use a single drop of gasoline, and that all of its power comes from the solar energy we collect right here on the Brooklyn waterfront," said Beautiful Earth's president and chief executive Lex Heslin.

The company said that the charging station has a capacity of about six kilowatts and will also produce enough energy to power a small home. It added that an integrated battery bank will stores electricity and ensure that the system can provide power 24 hours a day.

The move comes in the same week as London Mayor Boris Johnson announced plans to install 25,000 electric car recharging points across the UK capital, including 22,500 charging points at workplaces.