The cheapest electric car in the world

If you can overlook its three-wheel configuration, its lack of a conventional steering wheel and the absence of any doors then the £4,000 BugE on display this week at the Detroit Motor Show is a good candidate for the title of cheapest electric car in the world.

There is now a range of electric cars on sale that is indistinguishable in appearance from conventional, fossil fuel-burning models, but prices for new vehicles range from £8,999 for the Reva G-Wiz to around £90,000 for the high-performance Tesla electric sports car.

The BugE has been in development for three years and is currently available in kit form for £4,000 and fully assembled for £12,000.

It has a range of 30 miles at 30mph and a maximum speed of 50mph

Saviour of the electric car or the Sinclair C5 reincarnated?

A spokesperson the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “When the Sinclair C5 electric trike was unveiled in 1985 it promised to revolutionise personal transport, but it suffered from technical faults and a public not ready for such a radically new mode of transport. The BugE is far cheaper than other electric vehicles of its type, but 25 years after the C5, lightweight electric vehicles still struggle to find their market.”