FUTURISTIC electric car drivers have been given a boost – as charging points for their eco-friendly vehicles have been installed in Birmingham city centre.

Businesses and families in Birmingham and Coventry are trialling 125 of the special cars, made by Mitsubishi, and they can now plug in at two new points in Margaret Street and three at the Bullring.

Organisers hope the new charging points will become a common sight in years to come as drivers ditch their traditional petrol motors for the electric vehicles.

Sci-fi comedy actor Robert Llewlleyn, from Red Dwarf, was on hand to mark the latest development in the Cabled project which was launched in Decem,ber.

Robert, who owns an electric car, said: “I first came across them in the US and was completely hooked, even after being a fairly committed petrol head.

“We use ours every single day. It’s really cheap to run. I plug it in at night and it’s always full.

“This recharging infrastructure will allow people to go that much further.”

Neil Butcher, from the Cabled project, said: “We’ve had 125 Mitsubishis out on the road since December and everyone is very pleased with them. This is just the next step.

“We’re getting a lot of interest and I think, as oil prices rise in the future and people become more worried about carbon emissions, they’re only going to get more popular.”

The electric cars take about eight hours to charge fully and only cost about a penny a mile to run, compared to 10 pence per mile in a petrol car.

But they currently cost about £38,000 each. Coun Paul Tilsley, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, which has strongly supported the scheme, said it was a triumph that recharging points were finally in the city.

“It shows our commitment to working towards lower carbon emissions through new technology,” he said.

“Long term we have a commitment to only purchase electric-propelled vehicles across our vehicle estate by 2015.”