Cenex launches electric vehicle trial

Hundreds of drivers in northeast England will have the chance to take part in a new electric vehicle trial announced by Cenex, the UK’s Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies.

The pilot-scale fleet trial, announced by Cenex and regional development agency One North East at the National Low Carbon Vehicle Event, will see four electric Smart cars deployed in the region for six months from October 2009 that more than 500 people will use over the duration of the trial.

Technical data from the trial will be collected from on-board instruments. Three cars will be on the roads of the northeast, with one primarily based on a test track and fitted with more sophisticated monitoring equipment.

The trial is aimed at accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in northeast England.

Robert Evans, chief executive officer at Cenex, said: 'We hope the trial will enable large numbers of potential users in the northeast to gain hands-on experience of driving an electric vehicle for the first time. The feedback and data we collect will also help to give vehicle manufacturers and technology specialists a real insight into the opinions of their future customers and will assist in the development of electric vehicles tailored to the needs and preferences of end users.'