The first stage of a Government-supported UK-wide project, to trial electric and ultra low emission vehicles began in the West Midlands yesterday. Twenty-five Mitsubishi i-MiEVs will be given to independent drivers, including automotive expert Quentin Willson, to test over the next 12 months by the CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators) consortium in Centenary Square, Birmingham.
Led by global engineering consultancy Arup, CABLED is the largest of eight regional teams to participate in the £25 million Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator competition as well as being the first to begin vehicle trials.
Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands has supported the CABLED consortium from the start and has invested £2.5million in the project, ensuring the Region’s participation in the competition.
The project is worth £15 million and will trial 110 vehicles on the roads of Birmingham and Coventry. UK-wide, 340 vehicles are being tested using funding from the Technology Strategy Board and the Department of Transport.
Mick Laverty, Chief Executive of Advantage West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands is expertly positioned to co-ordinate these trials, as home to the UK’s automotive industry and around 60 per cent of industry research and development is commissioned here.
Neil Butcher, Arup’s project leader of the CABLED consortium said: “Less than 1 per cent of the vehicles registered every year in the UK are electric and most of these are currently used in London. We think that by 2020, low carbon cars will be commercially viable, and it’s important that we start to understand the public’s reaction and provide the necessary infrastructure to prepare for this.
“Today’s launch is a landmark occasion for the UK automotive industry, and this project will begin to examine the points where the vehicles meet the built environment – energy generation, battery charging and driver behaviour. This is an important first step on our roads to a low-carbon future.”
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is a fully electric city car with zero emissions. It has a top speed of 81 mph, a range of 100 miles and can be trickle charged from flat to full in six hours at any UK three-pin socket – costing under £1 for a full charge. In addition the i-MiEV can be fast-charged from flat to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes.
Mr Genichiro Nishina, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Europe, said: “Mitsubishi Motors takes a holistic approach to environmental and sustainability issues at every stage of the vehicle’s design, production and in-service lifecycle. The i-MiEV is an exciting project for us as it makes the prospect of ultra-low carbon transport a present-day reality.”
Drivers selected for the trials of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and 85 other consortium vehicles were chosen through an application process led by Coventry University. Five other manufacturers within CABLED will roll out vehicles in 2010, including Jaguar/Land Rover, Mercedes Benz/Smart, Tata, LTI and Microcab industries.
The consortium also benefits from a firm commitment to developing the necessary infrastructure to co-ordinate the trials from E.ON, Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council, who will provide electrical charging points for vehicles across the two cities as well as access to the University of Birmingham’s hydrogen refuelling station. During the trials, Aston University will be analysing and reporting its conclusions from the data generated by the vehicles.
