Alex Shapiro gets around town and the congestion charge in the greenest commuter cars on the road.
All Charged Up
Despite government’s best efforts, city centres still teem with private cars. City commuters crawl along at
average speeds of 10.4mpg in hatchbacks, saloons and SUVs – all pumping carbon fumes into the
atmosphere and adding to noise pollution. Even hybrids rely on petrol engines – sometimes big ones – at
higher speeds. Concern for the environment is simply not compatible with driving a car in the city. But a
new breed of zero-emission vehicles offers relief from urban pollution and motoring guilt.
Small and silent, these electric city cars are exempt from congestion charging, road tax and even get free
or discounted parking in central London. More freebies are on their way around the country – as councils
stretch to encourage green motoring. There’s also no more-liberating feeling than giving up the petrol
pump for good. Plugging-in the car overnight costs just around fifty quid for a year of driving.
The toy-like city cars are a glimpse of the future inside congested city centres. In the meantime, they out-
smug hybrid drivers and get nods of approval from even the staunchest environmentalists.
Reva GWiz DC Drive – around £7000*
The GWiz is the first affordable, electric car - you’ve no doubt seen this two-seat bubble-car appearing all
over town. Everyone from city tycoons and trendy media-types to Britain’s highest-earning TV presenter,
Jonathan Ross, is opting for this politically correct car with a sense of humour.
It’s tiny, silent and completely free of emissions - making it the great green hope of reducing urban
pollution. With a top speed of just 45mph, the GWiz isn’t exactly whizzy – but with the current pace of city
traffic – you’re unlikely to notice.
Inside, the GWiz is cheap and cheerful chic with colourful, recyclable plastics all around. You can even plug
in your iPod to drown out the silence. With a range of around 40 miles from an eight hour charge, the GWiz
won’t replace a standard car for longer journeys just yet. But it’s quickly becoming a common sight in
congested cities - with over 500 in London alone – and it’s no wonder as congestion charging sets to
expand in February. The GWiz is an eco-friendly choice that will pay for itself in just a year. To help cement
its iconic status – it’s now available in tiger and cheetah-print designs.
• GWiz DC Drive ££5956.00 – AC Drive for 20% more power and added features £8,299. www.
goingreen.co.uk
NICE Mega City – around £10,000*
Having ‘no internal combustion engine’ is nice and that’s how the NICE Car Company got its name. The
Mega City is set to arrive in London this month to give the GWiz some competition. The NICE definitely cuts
down on the clown car effect of driving an electric and it has a slightly better range of fifty miles between
charging.
It’s bigger and more car-like, seating two in more comfort than the GWiz. Plus, the Mega City has relatively
luxurious features like power windows, an outside thermometer and a cup holder!
The Mega City also aims to out-green the competition. Like Reva, NICE has planted trees to offset carbon
produced by the manufacturing process but they also let you buy wind-generated electricity for completely
carbon neutral motoring.
• Mega City £9,995 base introductory price – Coming to London in late November.
www.nicecarcompany.co.uk
Commuter Cars Tango T600 - around £72,000*
The Tango is the supercar of city commuting. Its unique design and outrageous performance have already
made it the darling of celebrity eco-warriors like George Clooney. Conceived in California, the Tango is
designed for freeway speeds and can reach 60mph in four seconds - faster than most conventional cars. It
can cruise at motorway speeds and the manufacturer claims it’s got a range of 160 miles.
The Tango is about a foot narrower than a GWiz, because the passenger sits behind the driver like in a jet
fighter cockpit. This radical design aims to maximise road space and make perpendicular parking
commonplace. To reassure Tango drivers at high speeds, Commuter Cars developed their safety gear to
race car specifications – including four-point belt harnesses and a 200mph safety cage.
Of course, with supercar performance and safety equipment, the Tango does come with a supercar price
tag. Development is on the way to bring prices down and increase the range even further. However, for the
moment, the ultimate electric city car isn’t in mass production and takes six months to be built and delivered.
• Tango T600 $133,000 (£70,630 at press time). Li-Ion ($40K option) batteries coming soon for up to
320 miles of range.
www.commutercars.com
*BATTERIES INCLUDED
All Charged Up
Despite government’s best efforts, city centres still teem with private cars. City commuters crawl along at
average speeds of 10.4mpg in hatchbacks, saloons and SUVs – all pumping carbon fumes into the
atmosphere and adding to noise pollution. Even hybrids rely on petrol engines – sometimes big ones – at
higher speeds. Concern for the environment is simply not compatible with driving a car in the city. But a
new breed of zero-emission vehicles offers relief from urban pollution and motoring guilt.
Small and silent, these electric city cars are exempt from congestion charging, road tax and even get free
or discounted parking in central London. More freebies are on their way around the country – as councils
stretch to encourage green motoring. There’s also no more-liberating feeling than giving up the petrol
pump for good. Plugging-in the car overnight costs just around fifty quid for a year of driving.
The toy-like city cars are a glimpse of the future inside congested city centres. In the meantime, they out-
smug hybrid drivers and get nods of approval from even the staunchest environmentalists.
Reva GWiz DC Drive – around £7000*
The GWiz is the first affordable, electric car - you’ve no doubt seen this two-seat bubble-car appearing all
over town. Everyone from city tycoons and trendy media-types to Britain’s highest-earning TV presenter,
Jonathan Ross, is opting for this politically correct car with a sense of humour.
It’s tiny, silent and completely free of emissions - making it the great green hope of reducing urban
pollution. With a top speed of just 45mph, the GWiz isn’t exactly whizzy – but with the current pace of city
traffic – you’re unlikely to notice.
Inside, the GWiz is cheap and cheerful chic with colourful, recyclable plastics all around. You can even plug
in your iPod to drown out the silence. With a range of around 40 miles from an eight hour charge, the GWiz
won’t replace a standard car for longer journeys just yet. But it’s quickly becoming a common sight in
congested cities - with over 500 in London alone – and it’s no wonder as congestion charging sets to
expand in February. The GWiz is an eco-friendly choice that will pay for itself in just a year. To help cement
its iconic status – it’s now available in tiger and cheetah-print designs.
• GWiz DC Drive ££5956.00 – AC Drive for 20% more power and added features £8,299. www.
goingreen.co.uk
NICE Mega City – around £10,000*
Having ‘no internal combustion engine’ is nice and that’s how the NICE Car Company got its name. The
Mega City is set to arrive in London this month to give the GWiz some competition. The NICE definitely cuts
down on the clown car effect of driving an electric and it has a slightly better range of fifty miles between
charging.
It’s bigger and more car-like, seating two in more comfort than the GWiz. Plus, the Mega City has relatively
luxurious features like power windows, an outside thermometer and a cup holder!
The Mega City also aims to out-green the competition. Like Reva, NICE has planted trees to offset carbon
produced by the manufacturing process but they also let you buy wind-generated electricity for completely
carbon neutral motoring.
• Mega City £9,995 base introductory price – Coming to London in late November.
www.nicecarcompany.co.uk
Commuter Cars Tango T600 - around £72,000*
The Tango is the supercar of city commuting. Its unique design and outrageous performance have already
made it the darling of celebrity eco-warriors like George Clooney. Conceived in California, the Tango is
designed for freeway speeds and can reach 60mph in four seconds - faster than most conventional cars. It
can cruise at motorway speeds and the manufacturer claims it’s got a range of 160 miles.
The Tango is about a foot narrower than a GWiz, because the passenger sits behind the driver like in a jet
fighter cockpit. This radical design aims to maximise road space and make perpendicular parking
commonplace. To reassure Tango drivers at high speeds, Commuter Cars developed their safety gear to
race car specifications – including four-point belt harnesses and a 200mph safety cage.
Of course, with supercar performance and safety equipment, the Tango does come with a supercar price
tag. Development is on the way to bring prices down and increase the range even further. However, for the
moment, the ultimate electric city car isn’t in mass production and takes six months to be built and delivered.
• Tango T600 $133,000 (£70,630 at press time). Li-Ion ($40K option) batteries coming soon for up to
320 miles of range.
www.commutercars.com
*BATTERIES INCLUDED
unedited version.