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More urban and city-based drivers are coming round to the idea that electric cars aren’t just gutless eco wagons designed for attention-seeking celebs and tree-hugging hippies. Electric vehicles can save cold hard cash as well as the planet.  Up until now, if you wanted to go green and all electric, you ran the risk of ridicule and injury in something like the G-Wizz or only going half way there in an electric car that isn’t exclusively an electric car like the Toyota Prius hybrid.

There’s no doubt that the specification of Electric Vehicles (EV’s) is improving all the time.Ranges are steadily being increased and their performance is getting closer to regular cars.  Car leasing will likely remain the preferred method of acquiring these vehicles for some time yet as the various technologies sort themselves out and retail prices remain relatively high (£30,000 is suggested for a Plug in Prius for example).

The advanced all electric Audi A1 e-tron hatchback may well be a viable candidate for Audi car leasing once 20 of them finish testing in Munich by mid-2011.With a top speed of 81 mph and ‘fuel economy’ using a range extender (a small Wankel engine to give a charge boost) equal to 148.7 mpg, they should go some way to delivering a genuine “real car ” performance.

BMW contract hire is also a more judicious route for models like the Mini-E (an electric Mini) that can seat only two thanks to a huge battery pack.More practical for everyday driving may be the ActiveE, a converted BMW series 1 coupe, in which at least you get four full-size seats and a decent boot space.  The electric motor, specially developed for the model, accelerates the car from 0-60 mph in around 8.5 seconds.An advanced lithium-ion battery pack enables a range of 100 miles in everyday use and can be fully re-charged in just three hours using a normal 13 amp wall socket.

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