Almost 200 Victorian families will be invited to take part in the
state's first electric car trial with the first major shipment of cars
arriving in Melbourne.
Twenty Mitsubishi electric cars rolled off the dock at Port Melbourne
on Thursday and will be followed by another 90 by the end of this year.
Some of the vehicles will be used in a $5 million state trial as the
government seeks to road test the new technology.
The five-year trial will involve 60 vehicles and 180 families, who
will each get an electric car to test over a three-month period.
The government has received submissions from 76 vehicle suppliers who
also hope to take part and will release a full list of participants in
September.
About 180 charging points will be included in the trial.
The Mitsubishi i Miev electric car
will retail for about $68,000. It produces no emissions on the road and
can travel up to 160km before needing to be charged.
