Tata Motors is the latest car maker to join the UK green vehicle revolution, announcing that it will start manufacturing its own fully-electric four-seater family car this month at a factory in the West Midlands for launch next year.
Tata Motors, India’s largest automobile company, said today that it is to start manufacturing a limited number of the
Tata Indica Vista EV in the UK in December for trials early next year. It will launch the car onto the UK market in the summer of 2011.
Plug-in Car Grant
A string of
electric cars are set to launch in the UK next year as the Government’s subsidy scheme for low emission vehicles kicks in. The £43 million Plug-In Car Grant scheme, which launches in January, provides a grant of up to £5000 to car buyers who choose one of the cars that qualifies.
Yesterday, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced details of the nine electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that will benefit from the scheme. The Vista EV qualifies as does the Mitsubishi I-MiEV, the Smart fortwo electric drive, the Peugeot iOn, the Nissan Leaf and the Citreon CZero. The Toyota Prius, the Vauxhall Ampera and the Chevrolet Volt will also be eligible for the grant when they launch in 2012. The DfT said more vehicles would become eligible for the grants next year.
Vista EV
The Vista EV is a four-seater family car with a 110 miles range and a top speed of 71 miles per hour. It has not yet been announced what price the car will retail at.
It has been developed by Tata Motors’ UK subsidiary, Tata Motors European Technical Centre, and is modelled on the Vista EVX, which won the prizes of 'Most Economic Small Passenger EV' and Most 'Economical and Environment Friendly Small Passer EV' at the RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge in November.
An initial 25 Vista EVs will begin rolling off the UK production line this month to be trialled under the Technology Strategy Board-sponsored CABLED programme. The vehicle will then be available to fleet customers in limited numbers from the summer of 2011, followed by a more comprehensive launch in 2012.
Plug-in points
To help kick start the electric car market next year, the DfT also announced yesterday that a further five areas in the UK will get a share of £20 million to create plug-in points. They include the Midlands, Greater Manchester, the East of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. London, Milton Keynes and the North East of England have already received a tranche of infrastructure funding under the Government’s Plugged-in Places scheme.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said the Government subsidies announced this week could make 2011 the year of the electric car in the UK.
"A few years ago, ultra-low emission cars with mass market appeal appeared just a pipe dream. Now they are a reality and we can have all the convenience of the car without all the carbon that normally goes with it," he said. "Government action to support affordable vehicles and more local charging points means we are on the threshold of an exciting green revolution – 2011 could be remembered as the year the electric car took off."
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Related links:
www.dft.gov.uk/
www.tatamotors.com
