New electric cars for Madrid

AN agreement between Spanish Service Company Ferrovial and Renault has been signed to launch a car sharing service in Madrid called Zity.

It will operate from October with a fleet of 500 Zoe electric cars and will initially service the area within the M-30 beltway.

The Zoe has a theoretical maximum coverage of 400 kilometres but is more likely to need re-charging after 300 kilometres based on normal traffic conditions within the capital.

This will be the third electric car sharing scheme operating within Madrid as both Citroen and Mercedes with their electric Smart car are using the city to demonstrate their ability to run non-polluting vehicles.

With various countries promising to phase out ‘gas guzzlers’ in the future, this type of experiment could have important financial implications for manufacturers looking to win drivers over to their models.