TWO Nissan LEAFs will be taking part in this year’s RAC Future Car Challenge it has been announced.
The official energy and electric vehicle charging partner for the event, British Gas, will be providing charge for the competing vehicles.
But the firm will also be entering two LEAFs for electric car evangelists Mark Goodier – Smooth FM’s and former Radio 1 DJ – and TV presenter and comedian, Robert Llewellyn.
Goodier and Llewellyn will be required to drive a 60-mile route from Brighton to London using the least amount of energy possible.
Goodier was the first person in Britain to own a LEAF and has been running it on solar energy after British Gas installed 12 solar panels on his home in May this year.
He has since cut both his petrol costs and his carbon footprint and, thanks to the feed-in tariff, a scheme which pays the owners of solar panels for all the renewable electricity they generate, Goodier will receive around £1,200 a year.
Dean Keeling, managing director of British Gas Smart Homes, said: ‘The RAC Future Car Challenge is an exciting event for the world of low-emission driving and British Gas is delighted to be powering it, helping to make electric vehicles accessible to all.
‘We want to make the process of running an electric car hassle-free by installing smart meters, supplying cheaper electricity through our new tariff and advising consumers on when to charge to reduce their carbon footprint.’
In April 2011, British Gas announced its first solar-powered electric car partnership with Nissan. British Gas is helping to make electric vehicles more accessible to more people by making it easier and quicker to run EVs and hybrids through advice, the installation of charging points and dedicated tariffs.
Next year British Gas will launch a new electricity tariff which will allow electric car owners to pay as little as 1.59p per mile to power their car, saving themselves £1,200 a year compared to the cost of petrol
The RAC Future Car Challenge will take place on Saturday November 5, 2011, and is open to electric, hybrid, hydrogen and low-emission internal combustion engine cars and light-commercial vehicles.