Peter McManners said he had learned to live with the car's limitations
A Berkshire motorist interested in green issues has said his trial of a new electric car was "a success".
Peter McManners, from Pangbourne, has been driving the Oxford-built Mini E car to test the electric car's suitability to everyday motoring.
He was one of 20 drivers in the trial, run by a consortium led by the car's manufacturer BMW.
Mr McManners said: "I've enjoyed having it but we've had to fit around its limitations, like its lack of range."
The left-hand drive, two-seater prototype is like a conventional Mini car, but its rear seats have been removed to make room for lithium-ion batteries.
Product development
Mr McMannners said he found the lack of rear seats a problem, as he has children.
The car can be charged by a 32-amp charger at a cost of around £1.50, and can run for approximately 100 miles (161km).
The trial was only open to motorists in a specific geographical area between Andover, West London and Oxford. It cost £330 a month to lease the car.
Project leader Suzanne Gray from BMW said: "We're learning not just about electric vehicles but about product development, developing and managing the electricity grid and a charging infrastructure for vehicles."
Data collected from the trial will be analysed by Oxford Brookes University's Sustainable Vehicle Engineering Centre.
The electric-powered Mini car is likely to go into general production in 2013.
- Published4 June 2010
