G-WIZ

FIRST UP was the G-Wiz. I wrecked the carbon tally of what should have been a zero-emission morning by going to the wrong rendez vous point and correcting the error in a noxious black cab. But such are the hazards of exploring the e-car frontier, because Goingreen, the sole UK G-Wiz distributor (www.goingreen.co.uk, 020-8574 3232) is trying to hold down costs by not having a showroom. Instead, you meet their man at a pre-arranged street corner where you will know him by his beige mac.

The G-Wiz costs £8,000, give or take, but promises to earn back that and more during its lifetime as an urban runabout and commuter vehicle. It does this by not needing petrol (the electricity it consumes in a year costs about the same as a single tank); by not needing road tax; and by falling into the same rock-bottom insurance bracket as a quadricycle. You also get free parking in much of Central London, and exemption from the Congestion Charge.

All this tends to compensate for any masculinity worries induced by its exaggerated smallness and low top speed (40 mph in principle; about 35 in practice except when going downhill with the wind behind you).

But as Keith Johnston, the man in the beige mac, implies, this car is aimed at people who are already comfortable in their own skins. “95 per cent lower petrol costs,” he intones. “100 per cent less ego.”

It’s short enough to park at right angles to the curb, narrower than most cycle paths, almost as roomy as a Smart Car and much better than a scooter in the rain.

It’s also quick off the lights. In fact, all battery-powered vehicles are if you want them to be, because there’s no more efficient way to deliver power to wheels than via an electric motor. And so entering Lower Thames Street from Monument Street I believe that I even burned a little rubber.

Drawbacks? The 40-mile range could catch you out in those bits of Ulan Bator not yet hooked up to the Mongolian national grid, or if you’re on an unplanned journey with no time for a (one hour) top-up charge. Otherwise, 40 miles is plenty for most commutes given that the average UK car journey is 12 miles long and the average urban one is just two.

A full re-charge takes six hours and should be done off-street unless you can persuade your council to install a kerbside charging station — and the only equipment required is a normal 13-amp socket. As for build quality, that Clarkson chap would snort. Most electric vehicles are plasticky to save weight because their batteries are so heavy, and the G-Wiz is no exception. Then again, if Clarkson is snorting you must be doing something right.

AIXAM MEGA MULTITRUCK

THIS IS MY MESSAGE for Aixam, the French company (from Aix-les-Bains) behind the Mega Multitruck. They let the old petrolhead loose on a version similar to the one I drove, and of course he trashed it, despite the cupholders.

The truth is that this is an inordinately cute, virtually silent utility vehicle that is just beginning to sell in this country to local authorities, but has failed to catch on with the small tradespeople at whom it was initially aimed. Well, shame on them. Shame on the big tradespeople, too. Why John Lewis and Habitat don’t steal a PR march on those smug Scandos at Ikea, with a carbon-friendly delivery service, beats me, not least because it would also save them money. Multitrucks cost £8,000 to £9,000 compared with around £14,000 for a new Transit. They have all the other price advantages of a G-Wiz and their 60-mile range is designed to be enough for most eight-hour non-motorway work days.

Just remember to plug them in at night. Would I, personally, buy one? Probably not, because I don’t deliver housewares for a living.

EVT 168 SCOOTER

WOULD I, PERSONALLY, buy an EVT 168 chrome-splathered retrotastic electric scooter? Absolutely. This machine is so quiet that its Taiwanese manufacturer has considered (and so far rejected) the idea of giving it some artificial noise to alert deaf grannies about to step into its path. It also accelerates so smartly that it nearly left The Times photographer Peter Nicholls strewn across the high street in Princes Risborough during a test ride. Mr Nicholls, a veteran of many wars, was shaking visibly as he removed his helmet.

As a moderately experienced 50cc Piaggio rider, I found this quick, snazzy and highly desirable. Its speed is limited to 35mph to save battery power, but that’s 5mph more than any 50cc scooter ridden without a Certificate of Basic Training, to which this machine is legally equivalent.

It’s also more than enough for urban commuting. Technically, this is the same scooter as the lavishly-praised EVT 4000e; it just looks better. Both have a range of 30 miles. They cost about £1,800 new and are available from Scootelectric at scootelectric.co.uk. “Could this be the Vespa of the 21st century?” Tony Cheverall, the firm’s marketing manager, asks, a touch plaintively. Why the heck not?

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