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A surprising advantage of battery-electric vehicle power was revealed by Lord Wakefield of Kendal when he made his final speech as president of the Electric Vehicle Association last week at the annual luncheon. The two 25-seat battery-electric coaches in use at the Electro-Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh were not affected like other vehicles by the foot-and-mouth epidemic. Why? Well, they don't have to rely on an outside supplier to keep running. Electricity supplies don't carry the hazard represented by the wheels of liquid fuel delivery vehicles.
But I thought Lord Erroll, taking over as EVA president, was pushing the Association's interests a bit prematurely when he declared his interest in "getting rid of noisy petrol and diesel vehicles from cities". When operators are offered really economic, adequate-range electric transport for both goods and people—or when such equipment is in the offing—then such comments will have a little more substance.