International experts all charged up to make the cars of the future a reality today

Published on Friday, 14 November 2008 08:10

Posted by Richard Taylor

In the first meeting of its kind, industry experts and government officials will be in London to discuss how to kick start the mass market production of low carbon and electric vehicles.

Energy, automotive and planning experts and government representatives from more than 15 countries will be debating many of the technological challenges, key barriers and opportunities as well as gathering consensus on industry standards.

As well as a declaration from all those attending the event, it's expected that the progress made will be fed into the G8 Energy Forum in Japan in November and the London Energy Summit in December as low carbon vehicles are expected to be on the agendas for both these events.

Business Minister, Ian Pearson, said:

"Currently, less than 0.1% of the UK's 26 million cars are electric. The Government is committed to bring lower carbon vehicles to Britain's roads as soon as possible. We need to act now to ensure that the UK is at the forefront of this new industry.

"The UK's automotive sector has a global reputation for research and development, design engineering and manufacturing. The development of electric vehicle technology is an opportunity for the UK to take the lead and, given the current state of the global economy, we need to seize that opportunity now."

Recognised as one of the world's leading experts in the field, Professor Dan Sperling, the Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis is to speak at the event. He said:

"I am delighted that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has shown such leadership by taking this first critical step forward in the UK. He is to be commended in calling this important international meeting and setting the ball rolling for a low carbon vehicle future for the UK.

"I am looking forward to discussing with experts from around the world how we can move forward one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century - the transformation of cars and the car industry."