Brands Hatch hosts electric vehicle driving event on race day

For the first time ever, fans at the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on 1 and 2 April were able to test drive the latest zero and ultra-low emission vehicles during race day.

The EVOLUTION Motor Show was staged in association with Go Ultra Low, the government-industry initiative to promote electric vehicles. 
 
The event was designed to show the public that electric vehicles are a viable alternative to diesel or petrol by showcasing the range of EVs available to buy and allowing them to experience how they drive, around the world-famous Grand Prix Loop. 
 
One visitor said: “I didn’t realise there were so many electric vehicles. Prior to attending, the only EV I was really aware of as a proper everyday road car was the Prius. Thank you for the opportunity, it was a real eye opener.”
 
BMW’s futuristic i8 was a test drive sell-out from the morning, and the smaller i3 also proved popular. Other vehicles available on the day were the Renault Zoe, Hyundai Ioniq, Kia Optima PHEV and Soul EV, and the new-to-market Toyota Prius Plug-In. 
 
Toyota’s hydrogen-fuelled Mirai was also available to test drive, as was the Hyundai ix35 FCV, while the Volkswagen Golf GTE and Audi e-tron were on static display.
 
The event’s charging partners, BMM Energy Solutions and NewMotion, were also on hand to answer any questions about charging the vehicles.
 
The EVOLUTION Motor Show is run by GreenFleet, the magazine and events designed to promote low-emission motoring to the fleet sector.