As part of the trial, the keys to 25 electric Mitsubishi i-MiEVs are being given to independent drivers - including automotive expert Quentin Willson.
The cars will be tested over the next 12 months by the CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators) consortium in Centenary Square, Birmingham.
The CABLED consortium will manage the project as one of eight successful teams in the £25 million Technology Strategy Board Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrator Competition.
The consortium brings together the expertise of 13 West Midlands-based organisations within the engineering, automotive manufacturing, academic, public and infrastructure sectors.
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.
Drivers selected for the trials of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and 85 other vehicles were chosen through an application process led by Coventry University.
The other five manufacturers that will roll out vehicles in 2010 include the Smart ed (40 electric cars), Tata Indica (25 electric cars), Microcab (10 Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles), Land Rover Range_e (5 plug-in hybrids) and LTI (5 electric taxis).
Posted on 14.12.2009
