The first electrically powered plug-in car goes on sale in Ireland.

We've had electric milk floats, we've had electric bread vans, but this is the first all electric motor car to go on sale in Ireland.

The 2-seater car will set you back £5,900. For commuters looking to avoid the spiralling petrol costs, this may be the answer. According to Commuter Vehicles Ireland, the company selling the vehicle in Ireland, you will get the equivalent of 177 miles per gallon if you use off-peak electricity.

The car is run by four batteries which are powered from an outlet at the side of the car that can be plugged into an ordinary domestic socket. Six hours of charging will yield forty miles on the road. So the car is best suited to short journeys.

The car has no gears, just a forward and reverse switch, and two pedals, one to accelerate the other to brake. The top speed is 40 miles per hour. As there is no danger of speeding, sellers of the car say that the insurance costs will be 25% less than a standard car. The body of the car is made of fibreglass and the chassis of non-rust aluminium. At presen,t the car is being imported from America by Commuter Vehicles Ireland who are pushing the drive for electric vehicles. There are hopes that the car will be manufactured in Ireland.

An RTÉ News report by Caroline Erskine broadcast on 8 September 1981.

