Electric eco-rally vehicles charge up in Oxford - the electric car capital of Europe

All the electric entrants in the 2012 Eco-Rally will make use of existing charging points around Oxford in preparation for the start-line display and 65 mile trip to London. The growing network of charging points will give Oxford one of the highest densities of charging points anywhere in Europe, courtesy of the POLAR network. All of these sites will soon provide the ability to fast charge suitably equipped cars at a rate over twice as fast as standard charging. POLAR is the UK’s national, privately-funded, electric car charging infrastructure expected to cover the 100 largest towns and cities across the country in the near future.

The people of Oxford will have access to one post per two thousand five hundred residents, overtaking the likes of Amsterdam and Paris to claim the title of the 'electric vehicle capital' of Europe. The Dutch capital only offers one post per four thousand people.

The likes of Barcelona, London and Cardiff are also featured in the top ten list compiled by Chargemaster PLC.

In the next 18 months it is predicted 29 new models of plug-in cars and light vans will be launched in the UK market by manufacturers including Renault, Ford and Vauxhall. It is widely expected that up to one car in ten sold in the UK by 2020 will be electric or plug in hybrid. Many of these manufacturers will be selling their cars through dealers in the Oxford region and Chargemaster Plc through its POLAR network intends to ensure that all the necessary facilities are in place to allow ultra-low carbon vehicles to be widely available. The running costs of electric vehicles are only approximately 15% of the costs of running a petrol car with a “full tank” often costing less than £2.

Event: 

	2012 Oxford to London Eco-Rally Visitors fee: FREE On Saturday 18 August, the sixth annual Eco-Rally will showcase a wide range of future transport services and vehicles from some of the world's leading automakers and innovative new start-ups. Many will be driven by familiar faces setting off in convoy from Oxford to ... Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 08:00 - 18:00 ...MORE