The first company that develops an electric powered family car will be able to count Boris Johnson as its inaugural celebrity client after the London Mayor today pledged to never buy another petrol-powered car.
Following criticism of his environmental record in the wake of last week's decision to axe the western zone of the congestion charge, Johnson said that consumer demand had the potential to drive the development of new low and zero carbon vehicles.
"It strikes me that after years of false starts, the electric market is on the verge of triumphant maturity, and all it needs is the encouragement of consumer demand," he said, adding that he would become just such a consumer and buy the first zero emission family car.
"My Toyota people mover is so old and tired that if it were a dog, you would have it put down," he said. "But I intend to keep it on the road for another year, for two years, for three years – for however long it takes the car manufacturers to produce a zero emission electric family car.
"Come on, folks: you must be able to do it. I don’t want to buy another internal combustion engine; there is a market waiting to be satisfied, and if that isn’t an economic stimulus, I don't know what is."
The mayor has been a long-standing supporter of electric cars. Prior to talking office he criticised the Top Gear motoring show for its repeated attacks on the G-Wiz and while scaling back a hydrogen car project one of his first acts as Mayor was to announce plans to expand the number of electric car recharging points in London.
Johnson may also not have to wait long to make good on his pledge.
UK start up Liberty Electric Cars is planning to launch a zero carbon Range Rover that has been fitted with an energy storage system and electric motor next summer and has today invited the mayor to be amongst its first customers.
Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, Liberty managing director Barry Shrier said that the company would have its first prototypes on London's roads next May and would sell its first models in July. "We'd like Boris to be one of our first customers," he added.
Shrier said that the car will be the world's first electric luxury 4x4 and will boast a range of 200 miles, a top speed of 110mph, and do 0 to 60 in 6.2 seconds. He added that the car was based on a proprietary energy storage system that combines chemical, solid state and mechanical energy storage technologies and is capable of being charging in 10 minutes from a recharging point.
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