Citroen C1 EV'IE: Four-seater electric car hits London streets

By Rory Reid on 05 May 2009, 12:49pm

Holy mother of Boris Johnson, someone's released an electric car that doesn't look like it was designed by a 4-year-old. Behold, tree-huggers, the Citroen C1 EV'IE.

If it looks and sounds familiar, that's because it's essentially a standard Citroen C1, whose internal combustion engine has been replaced with an electric motor by the British-based Electric Car Corporation.

It promises to be the most 'normal' electric car on the market. It's available with three or five doors, although both versions will have a total of four seats -- a first for an all-electric car. Lithium-ion batteries help give the vehicle a top speed of 60mph, while regenerative braking helps push the driving range as high as 75 miles. Recharging from a domestic 13-amp socket takes around 6 hours.

The C1 EV'IE comes with a host of extras you may not expect from an electric car. There's a CD player with MP3 input capability, electric front windows, central locking, ABS brakes, driver and passenger airbags, front and rear crumple zones, an immobiliser, plus electric power steering -- a feature you don't get on even the Tesla Roadster.

It doesn't come cheap -- lithium-ion batteries push the price to £16,850 -- but the C1 EV'IE can save you money in the long run. It's exempt from road tax and London's congestion charge, can be parked for free in the borough of Westminster, and can be recharged for free from one of the many 'Juice Points' around the city. A full recharge at your own expense will probably set you back around 95p.

The ECC reckons it'll sell around 500 of these things in 2009. If you want to join that exclusive club, head on over to its official Web site and organise yourself a test drive.