(Thu 30 Apr 09)

An electric version of the Citroen C1 city car has gone on sale today - but Citroen itself has had very little to do with it.

The C1 ev'ie, as it's called, is the work of the Electric Car Corporation, whose Chief Executive David Martell describes it as "the first serious alternative to a petrol or diesel car". It has a range of up to 70 miles and a top speed of 60mph, and it can be charged via a domestic 13 amp socket in seven hours, at a cost of around 90p.

ECC intends to built about 500 ev'ies in the next year, with annual production rising to anything from 2000 to 4000 units in 2010, "depending on demand and Government support".

Citroen has no technical involvement in the project, but it is supplying the donor vehicles and is happy with what ECC is doing. "We are committed to providing greener alternatives for motorists and are delighted to be supplying ECC with C1s for this exciting project," says Citroen UK Managing Director Xavier Duchemin.

The ev'ie costs £16,850 and is being sold through www.eccplc.com.