Not sure if electric cars will actually work in real life? Neither is the British government, so they have decided to offer free trials to citizens if they are willing to give up their gas powered car. The trials will begin in 2009 and involve up to 100 cars in several cities around the United Kingdom. The information will aide the government in it's decision to embrace electric cars in the future. "A lot of people have a car for long-distance traveling and a small runabout for taking the kids to school. We need to find out whether electric cars are practical." said Geoff Hoon, transport secretary.

The cars used will be a mixture of electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrids. The study will look at reliability as well as ease of use, such as whether it is practical for someone who keeps their car in a parking garage to recharge the EV. Hopefully the lessons learned will help the UK to build an EV friendly charging structure to raise demand.

A second study will include more than 150 electric vans that will be tested by local authorities in Liverpool, Newcastle and Gateshead, Coventry, Leeds and Glasgow.

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