Victoria to trial electric cars

The Victorian Government was seeking 180 households for a $5 million, five-year trial of zero-emission electric cars.

It was part of a $38 billion transport plan for the state.

The trial involved 180 charging points and 60 vehicles - passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and two-wheelers - to be rotated between participants every three months.

Premier John Brumby said it would test "how drivers, vehicles, plug-in charging infrastructure and the electricity network will interact in real-life situations".

Yesterday while welcoming a shipment of 20 fully electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV passenger cars, he said they were "Australia's first commercially viable, fully electric vehicles".

Victoria received 76 submissions from car makers, recharge-infrastructure providers, electricity suppliers, distributors and retailers wanting to be involved.

It expected to release participants' names next month.

The Government would add electric vehicles to its fleet in time for the trial.

In partnership with the Royal Automotive Club of Victoria, it also planned to select households to test an electric car for three months through a lottery.

The Government said the cars would produce no greenhouse gases because they ran on GreenPower, the Government program for renewable energy providers.