You see, the British government has exempted all electrically-propelled vehicles from the city's congestion charges. This amounts to a saving of eight pounds per working day (or around $16 Canadian dollars). That sure adds up when you are working 5 or 6 days a week.
They also removed the required vehicle road tax, which is something like our plate sticker charges. Then to top the lot, they even offer free parking and charging facilities throughout the city.
It has to be said that Britain is leading us by miles in the fuel conservation race, and the British Government should be congratulated on promoting it so well.
It was particularly pleasing to see business development centers like Canary Wharf using electric-powered utility vehicles for their maintenance workers. These vehicles can cover up to 100 miles on a single charge, which make them perfect for inner-city work crews.
To be honest, I couldn't help but wonder why some Canadian cities haven't caught on to this idea. Surely in some of our larger cities like Toronto, it would make much more sense to use electric powered vehicles over the commonplace utility pickup trucks which the city maintenance departments use now.
Then there are the police services, who unlike our city police departments use smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles for in-town use. In fact, the UK police are just about to start testing an electric Motorcycle called the Vectrix.
I actually rode one of these around Canary Wharf during my visit and found it to be an amazing machine. Capable of 100 kph, it can go for 110 kilometers on a single charge, and 0-80 kph takes just 6.8 seconds. Of course, if you really need more distance, just plug it into a power outlet and within 2 hours, you have 80% battery power again.
One feature which I particularly liked on the Vectrix was the braking. The Brembo disc brakes not only work superbly, but because of a clever reverse gear setup within the gearbox, you can actually reverse twist the multi-function throttle and gain regenerative engine braking. This sounds very complex but in actual fact, it means that not only do you seldom require the use of the disc brakes, but you also help recharge the battery whilst slowing down.
They also removed the required vehicle road tax, which is something like our plate sticker charges. Then to top the lot, they even offer free parking and charging facilities throughout the city.
It has to be said that Britain is leading us by miles in the fuel conservation race, and the British Government should be congratulated on promoting it so well.
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It was particularly pleasing to see business development centers like Canary Wharf using electric-powered utility vehicles for their maintenance workers. These vehicles can cover up to 100 miles on a single charge, which make them perfect for inner-city work crews.
To be honest, I couldn't help but wonder why some Canadian cities haven't caught on to this idea. Surely in some of our larger cities like Toronto, it would make much more sense to use electric powered vehicles over the commonplace utility pickup trucks which the city maintenance departments use now.
Then there are the police services, who unlike our city police departments use smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles for in-town use. In fact, the UK police are just about to start testing an electric Motorcycle called the Vectrix.
I actually rode one of these around Canary Wharf during my visit and found it to be an amazing machine. Capable of 100 kph, it can go for 110 kilometers on a single charge, and 0-80 kph takes just 6.8 seconds. Of course, if you really need more distance, just plug it into a power outlet and within 2 hours, you have 80% battery power again.
One feature which I particularly liked on the Vectrix was the braking. The Brembo disc brakes not only work superbly, but because of a clever reverse gear setup within the gearbox, you can actually reverse twist the multi-function throttle and gain regenerative engine braking. This sounds very complex but in actual fact, it means that not only do you seldom require the use of the disc brakes, but you also help recharge the battery whilst slowing down.
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