ELECTRIC car trials have begun in Birmingham with 25 motorists testing new ecologically-friendly vehicles.

One of the drivers trialling the new cars in the city is motoring guru Quentin Willson.

The drivers will pay £350 a month to lease one of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV cars being tested and will report on their experiences over the year.

The vehicles also have trackers fitted so Mitsubishi can monitor how often they are charged, how many miles they cover and how often the cars are used on the road. The zero emission i-MiEV has a top speed of 81 mph and a range of 100 miles.

A full charge takes around six hours and costs less than £1.

Mitsubishi says a small petrol car travelling 12,000 miles will cost around £1,200 but an electric car will cost just £115.

One driver, Graham Standring, said he was taking part in the trial because the car was the first which ticked all the right boxes and didn’t involve a compromise.

“I travel from Kenilworth to Edgbaston each day and the running costs of this car will work out much cheaper for me,” he said.

“In my job with Calthorpe Estates we build low emission buildings so this zero emissions car fits in perfectly with this.”

The trial has been organised by the CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators) consortium.

CABLED is the largest of eight regional teams to take part in the £25 million Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator competition.

Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands has supported the CABLED consortium from the start and has invested £2.5 million in the project, ensuring the region’s participation in the competition.

Chief Executive Mick Laverty, said: “The West Midlands is embracing the opportunities of the low-carbon era.

“The competition could bring huge opportunities which is why we are committing ourselves to this investment to support industry led projects and our region’s needs,” he added.

Neil Butcher, Arup’s project leader of the CABLED consortium said: “Today’s launch is a landmark occasion for the UK automotive industry, and this project will begin to examine the points where the vehicles meet the built environment – energy generation, battery charging and driver behaviour. This is an important first step on our roads to a low-carbon future.”