Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid a visit to Glasgow last week to see the work of one of Britain’s leading producers of electric vehicles.

According to Allied Electric, the Prime Minister was full of praise for innovation the firm showed in its work.

Part of the Allied Vehicles group, Allied Electric played host to the PM as he explored its manufacturing plant in Glasgow, meeting company bosses and blue collar workers on the factory floor.

Allied Electric is known for its work converting Peugeot commercials to operate on electric motors. Its parent firm specialises in producing niche automotive products including wheelchair accessible cars, hackney taxis and community transport minibuses in conjunction with many of the leading carmakers.

Electric Future

The firm has now set its sights on becoming the UK’s leading supplier of all-electric vehicles (EVs) for the light commercial market.

It has already won government-backed contracts for its electric Peugeot Boxer vans, which will operate in various locations around the UK. Allied will also supply electric Peugeot Partner and Peugeot Expert cars and MPVs for a trial project supported by Glasgow City Council, Scottish Power, Strathclyde University and Dundee battery-maker Axeon.

“The Prime Minister was particularly excited about our work in electric vehicles,” said managing director Paul Nelson.

“All-electric vehicles are very much part of the shape of things to come but it’s still a relatively new concept to most people, so having the endorsement of the Prime Minister can only help raise the profile of EVs, which produce zero emissions while in operation.

Nelson added: “Range and functionality of electric vehicles has advanced rapidly in the past two to three years, making them a genuine alternative, especially for city centre operations.

The Heinz approach to electric vehicles

“Our strategy here is to be at the forefront of a new market – the Heinz of electric commercial vehicles if you like.

“It’s a rapidly moving technology field and we’ve got several exiting new developments in the pipeline already, so it looks sure to be an interesting ride.”

Speaking at a business dinner later that evening Brown praised the enthusiasm and commitment of the workforce at Allied, together with the company’s innovative approach.

Former Fleet Director for Peugeot, Steve Harris, has been appointed as Business Development Manager with electric vehicle manufacturer AlliedZEV.

British born Steve, from Solihull, started his career in the motor industry as an apprentice with British Leyland before working his way into fleet sales with the Rover Group. Steve was then involved with Land Rover, where his main responsibilities lay with their finance operations, before moving to head up BMW’s Southern African Sales Department.

Steve joined AlliedZEV in March this year from Peugeot where he had been based in Paris as International Fleet Sales Director before returning to the UK as Fleet Director. Steve has joined David Speak, previously of Smith Electric Vehicles, and Colin McQueen who has worked with the Allied Vehicles Group for 3 years, as part of the AlliedZEV sales and development team.

Steve said: “I am delighted to have made the smooth transition from Peugeot to AlliedZEV and look forward to the exciting challenges that lay ahead of me in this position.”

 We’re just two months away from the official launch of electric taxis – but if you can’t wait that long, it’s possible to take a glimpse at them now.

Allied vehicles, a manufacturer which builds thousands of taxis every year, has put its E7 electric taxi on display in the electric car village at the British International Motor Show. The finished product represents three years of hard work by the company which is now hoping to engage with local authority partners in a bid to establish recharging stations which can help bring the electric taxis to the average high street in the UK.

The electric taxis will be officially available from October and Allied chairman Gerry Facenna is confident that the vehicle can provide a solution both to urban emissions and running costs for taxi owners.

He said: “For the majority of taxi drivers, the key issue when buying a new cab is usually the cost to run, service and maintain their vehicle. In the current economic climate drivers are looking for ways to reduce costs.”

The E7 uses lithium-ion batteries, which provide a range of 100mph on a single charge as well as a top speed of 60mph. There is no carbon, particulates, or other emissions, and the taxi is eligible for a 100% vehicle excise duty reprieve helping to drive down costs for motorists. As an added bonus, the vehicle also includes full wheelchair access, retractable sidesteps and a specially designed under-floor wheelchair ramp for improved accessibility.  

An electric taxi could be the solution that cabbies are looking for as fuel costs; Vehicle Excise Duty and Congestion Charges continue to rise. A zero emission taxi will be available in late 2008 with significantly lower running costs than the traditional black cab.

The company behind the electric taxi, Glasgow based Allied Vehicles, builds thousands of taxis each year the new E7 taxi will appear in the electric pavilion for the entire Motor Show.

Available from October 2008, the electric taxi is the outcome of three years research and development by Allied, which is already looking for local authority partners to install recharging networks locally to help reduce urban emissions.

The E7 is powered wholly by cutting edge Lithium-ion batteries, which have been developed and supplied by Europe’s leading independent manufacturer, Dundee based Axeon Holdings plc. These give the electric E7 a range of up to 100 miles from a single charge and a top speed of 60mph. Producing no carbon, particulates or other pollutant emissions, the E7 is eligible for a 100% discount from vehicle excise duty, as well as reduced running costs.

With rising fuel prices an increasing dilemma for taxi drivers, the electric E7 is cheaper to run than a traditional black cab. Allied’s confidence in the technology is underlined with batteries featuring a six-year warranty and the base vehicle featuring a two-year unlimited mileage Peugeot warranty.

Gerry Facenna, Chairman of Allied Vehicles, said “Taxis and their drivers have a hard life and with the rising cost of diesel at the moment, it is only going to get worse. For the majority of taxi drivers, the key issue when buying a new cab is usually the cost to run, service and maintain their vehicle. In the current economic climate drivers are looking for ways to reduce costs and electric power offers an ideal solution, especially for congested urban areas where traffic is stop-start for much of the day. We’ve had a positive response to electric vehicles from many local authorities, both in the UK and in Europe. However it’s a shame that London looks set to miss out, especially since its famous taxi fleet is currently responsible for 4% of all emissions in the capital.”

The E7 will cost £39,450, a London style black taxi based on a TX4 silver automatic is currently in the region of £35,455 on the road.