An interview with Julian Wilford, co-founder of the NICE Car Company
September 30, 2008 Posted by: Lee Sibbald
The NICE Car Company offers impartial advice and the best range of zero-emission, electric vehicles in Europe. If you are looking for environmentally-friendly vehicles then NICE Car Company is there to help you make the right choice - from electric cars, electric trucks, electric vans and electric minibuses to our range of electric bikes and electric scooters including the Vectrix Scooter. Julian Wilford, the co-founder of the NICE Car Company kindly spoke to us September 2008.
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: When can we expect more NICE showrooms to spring up around the UK? Are there plans for NICE to make their models available overseas?
Julian Wilford: We’ve been operating exclusively from our West London site since 2006. Expansion is on the cards, but it’s unlikely to come through the traditional ‘dealer network’ model. We’ll focus on carefully targeted outlets that reach the right audience. That might be space in a shopping centre, or on a high street, rather in a traditional showroom or out-of-town trading park.
London is a key market for us and our priority at the current time. 12 million Londoners have congestion charge, parking charges and fines to consider. NICE cars offer convenience, zero emission and a pay back on motoring costs in a very short space of time. At present London is the only city that offers such a strong bundle of incentives to go electric, with such a large potential market.
We’ll shortly announce plans for our second outlet in the capital. Then we’ll move the NICE model outside London, as demand from informed and conscientious drivers grows. Overseas growth is certainly in the pipeline, probably towards the end of next year. Watch this space
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: There is a lot of talk about ‘high performance’ electric cars coming to market, does NICE have any plans to follow suit? If not, why not?
Julian Wilford: NICE is a multi-brand distributor, not a vehicle developer. We work with the manufactures, all new innovative companies, to help bring vehicles to consumers. Our unique proposition is advice, support and aftersales service. And we have a track record of delivery over the last two years.
We only offer consumers the choice of vehicles that actually exist or are capable of being sold in the UK. High performance electric cars are interesting concepts and we’ve worked with Cranfield University on a lightweight electric sports concept. They show what electric technology can deliver - and for other companies they present excellent PR opportunities.
However, they don’t give 99% customers what they really need today. And that’s a car they can buy and use now.
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: Will we see 100% electric cars released from ‘mainstream’ car manufacturers?
Julian Wilford: We probably will, but not within many of the time-frames presented at the moment and not with any great enthusiasm! Again, we think there’s lots of PR fluff and we’d be surprised if any new all-electric production car is delivered by a mainstream maker before 2012.
The reality is that here are very few reasons why a mainstream manufacturer would really want to develop an electric car. This is a great opportunity for dynamic new companies to enter the market with exciting new products - Tesla, Mega, Think, MyCar, distinctive fun vehicles that just are not produced by the big, bland automakers.
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: What advantages do 100% electric cars have over current hybrid cars?
Julian Wilford: Hybrid is a compromise….not much better in city motoring and worse emissions on motorway driving. Many of our customers own a second conventional vehicle for their longer journeys. Even a Porsche has low emissions if you only drive it occasionally - and use a zero emission city car for the majority of their motoring. We let you build your own hybrid that isn’t a compromise.
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: The Ze-0 and e500 are the latest models from NICE, when will we be seeing these on UK roads?
Julian Wilford: The latest models from NICE are a ‘designer’ two-seater called MyCar designed by Guigiaro and the five-door, five seat Ze-O MPV which starts from under £14k. We can expect to see MyCar on the roads from early November and Ze-O by the end of the year. We are also working with partners in Italy to deliver the e500; that’s an all-electric version of the iconic 500. But we have to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s before this becomes a reality.
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: Can electric cars be expected to be feasible solution to those who live out of town or drive long-distance?
Julian Wilford: We are not sure about long-distance driving. A lot depends on the development of battery technology. But out-of-town, well they already are. In fact we see this as probably the biggest market for Electric Vehicles. In rural locations there is often no realistic public transport. You need a vehicle just to get to the shops, visit the post office and for local journeys.
We’ve become a bit obsessed about range. It’s a PR arms race for those claiming ever greater distances for all-electric vehicles. Consider this; the average commute is just 8-9 miles; so 40 miles is more than adequate for the vast majority of urban and out-of-town driving.
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: Do you believe that the British Government and/or the European Union are doing enough to support the electric car market?
Julian Wilford: No. For too long our Government has accepted the mainstream manufacturer line that incentives must be delivered on a ‘technology neutral’ platform. That’s nonsense. Stern, Julia King and even Gordon Brown himself recognise that electrification of road transport is the only way to deliver significant CO2 emission reductions. Since it is now openly acknowledged that electricity has won the technology war, we think it is the right time to apply concessions and incentives accordingly. Government is still dragging its feet.
Government also continues to look the big players for the innovation. We think this is wrong. Just think how slow the mobile communications revolution would have been if the government had asked BT to lead….we would probably still be clutching phones the size of bricks, thanks to weighty battery packs
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: Where do you see the electric car, in regards to the UK motor industry, in 10, 20 and 50 years’ time?
Julian Wilford: It is the most significant change to motor car since the invention of the electric starter motor helped polluting petrol vehicles. The degree to which the market accelerates towards mass take up of all-electric vehicles will depend, to a large extent, on government support on concessions (like free parking) and re-charging infrastructure.
The reality is though, in 20 years time it’s very unlikely that there will be any petrol or diesel vehicle sold. Our grandchildren will wonder how we ever put up with the smell, pollution and noise of current vehicles.
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