DJ Scott Mills is cutting a pollution-free dash through London's traffic after taking delivery of his new e-motive e3 electric scooter. The presenter moved to the forefront of the fashion for going fossil fuel-free when he took delivery of the stylish new runaround earlier this week.

But the leading broadcaster, whose show is compulsive listening for millions, did not choose the eco chic e3 for its eye-catching looks alone. In fact, his new scooter is every commuter's dream - capable of zipping through traffic, able to be parked almost anywhere, completely free of road tax and totally exempt from the London Congestion Charge.

What's more, the super-clean and near silent scooter uses the very latest battery technology to get riders from A to B without the CO2 - hitting speeds of up to 55mph and able to cover 70 miles on a single charge. However, is especially looking forward to cutting his journey times in and around the capital so he can find some extra free time in his hectic schedule of radio shows, TV appearances and gigs.

Scott said: "I recently gave up my car as I found owning one in London was completely pointless. I was always getting parking tickets and was paying so much to keep something that just sat there unused most of the time. But recently a few of my friends got scooters and they were always telling me how great they were and how they no longer had to waste time sat in traffic and so I started to look around. The e-motive seemed like an obvious choice for me because it has all the benefits of a regular scooter but without the noise and pollution."

He said: "When I first started out I was doing shows in the early hours of the morning and my mum and dad got fed up of having to drop me off and pick me up in the middle of the night so I got myself a scooter. It was a really noisy and dirty old thing but I used to love it and it was brilliant fun to ride. But my e3 is even better to ride and much more fun. And because it's practically silent you really turn people's heads as you ride past!"

e-motive's debut models - the e1 e3 and e5 - are available now through a growing network of UK dealers. Starting from £1399, each model in the range comes with a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty and two-year AA roadside assistance thrown in. Scott's e3 retails at £2999 and is big enough to take two in comfort and is powerful enough to handle long A-road journeys with ease. What's more, it's state-of-the-art battery technology means it can be fully charged from any domestic plug socket in just four hours.

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Last year Chrysler announced that they would build a combustion powered Fiat 500 for release in the US later this year. However, they have now revealed plans to engineer and produce a battery electric version to hit the US markets by 2012.

Shown at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, the Fiat 500EV demonstrates the immediate benefits of the alliance between Chrysler Group and the Fiat Group as well as the speed at which the two companies can work together on advanced vehicle programs.

"The alliance with Fiat presented new opportunities to merge Chrysler Group engineering knowledge with new platforms and the Fiat 500EV is an outstanding example of our efforts," said Scott Kunselman, Senior Vice President Engineering at Chrysler. "The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric-vehicle technology."

The Fiat 500EV powertrain is comprised of three main systems; high power electric powertrain module, advance lithium ion battery, and an EV control unit to manage power flows. Pricing for the 500EV will be announced closer to launch, but will be competitive with similar electric vehicles in the market.

Chrysler have also been selected for a US Department of Energy grant of up to $48 million as part of a vehicle electrification program. They intend to build a total of 140 Ram PHEVs for a three-year demonstration project that includes various geographic and climatic locations across the United States. The vehicles will be able to travel up to 20 miles using zero-emission electric power with an overall improvement in fuel economy of 65%.

"This initiative represents how government, automotive industry, suppliers and key partners are reaching common goals and demonstrates how rapidly this type of advanced technology can be brought to market," said Paolo Ferrero, Chrysler's Senior Vice President.

Chrysler Group's alliance with Fiat Group brings new platforms and technologies that allow the company to create an improved long-term product strategy with greater fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Chrysler Group's five-year plan has an uncompromising product schedule, including a progressive vehicle electrification strategy.

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Nissan underlined its commitment to zero emission leadership today by announcing that the Nissan LEAF electric vehicle (EV) will be manufactured at its UK plant in Sunderland beginning in early 2013. This will make the UK the third global manufacturing location for Nissan electric vehicles.

Nissan LEAF, the first in a range of forthcoming Nissan electric vehicles, is the world's first affordable, mass produced zero emission car and embodies Nissan's vision for an environmentally sustainable future for road transport.

Nissan also said that construction of its advanced lithium-ion battery plant, announced last year, will begin this April. The facility, also located at Sunderland, will have a production capacity of 60,000 units a year and will start manufacturing batteries in 2012 for both Nissan and its Alliance partner Renault.

The production of Nissan LEAF and the batteries represents a total investment of more than £420 million in the Sunderland Plant and is expected to maintain about 2,250 jobs at Nissan and across the UK supply chain. The investment will be supported by a £20.7 million Grant for Business Investment (GBI) from the UK Government and a proposed finance package from the European Investment Bank of up to £197.3 million.

The UK's Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: "This investment is a fantastic vote of confidence in the Sunderland plant and its excellent workforce. The automotive sector is of key importance to the UK. It supports R&D, technological innovation, skills and a supply chain that's a mainstay of the wider manufacturing sector... Today's news from Nissan, with support from government, shows that by working together we can achieve our aim of making the UK a world-leader in ultra-low carbon vehicles."

Andy Palmer, senior vice president at Nissan Motor Company and responsible for the company's global EV strategy, said: "The world is at the dawn of a new era in automotive transport. Nissan LEAF, which will go on sale later this year, is a five-seater hatchback that offers the same space, practicality and performance of a similar car in its class – minus the tailpipe emissions."

"Thanks to the UK's firm commitment to a low carbon future in terms of infrastructure, customer incentives and educational programmes, Nissan LEAF will be built at Sunderland, making the UK the third country in the world to produce this revolutionary car."

Production of Nissan LEAF will begin in Oppama, Japan later this year followed by Smyrna, Tennessee, USA in 2012. Sunderland will come on-line in early 2013 with an initial annual production capacity of about 50,000 units. The three production sites will support the sales launch of the model, which begins in late 2010 in Japan, the United States and selected European markets, ahead of global mass marketing from 2012.

Nissan and its Alliance partner Renault are the only automakers committed to mass marketing pure electric vehicles on a global scale and together have announced production capacity of 500,000 units per year. To date, the Alliance has entered into more than 50 partnerships worldwide with countries, cities, organisations and other key stakeholders to prepare the markets and infrastructure for the successful adoption of EVs around the world.

Work to integrate Nissan LEAF into Sunderland's manufacturing process will begin in 2012. The car will be launched on the plant's 'Number 2' production line alongside the recently unveiled Juke compact crossover car, which enters production in August 2010. Nissan will continue to work in partnership with local and national government in preparation for the UK sales launch of Nissan LEAF in early 2011.

Last December, Nissan and Regional Development Agency One North East signed a definitive agreement on zero emission mobility. The agreement includes the development of a regional network of charging points, supply of Nissan LEAF to the region from early 2011 and a range of incentives for early adopters of EVs, such as a period of free charging and use of dedicated EV lanes.

Although zero-emission vehicles are the centrepiece of Nissan's product strategy, the company is also investing in a portfolio of low-emission technologies (called PureDrive) such as clean diesels, efficient internal-combustion engines and hybrids.

NISSAN LEAF at a glance:

* World's first affordable, mass produced zero emission car

* Five-seater C-segment hatchback

* Powered by an 80kW electric motor

* Charges to 80% of capacity in under 30 minutes (rapid charging)

* Real-world range: 160 km (100 miles - US-LA 4 mode)

* Top speed of more than 140 km/h (90 mph)

* Produced on all-new dedicated EV platform

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Toyota has become a new international auto partner of the Clean Energy Partnership, adding impetus to CEP's programme of advancing sustainable mobility through the development of hydrogen filling stations and a fuel supply network in Germany.

CEP's activities are supported by the German Government, which is investing around €2 billion to support the development of hydrogen fuel cell and electric vehicle technologies. Toyota will contribute five of its zero-emissions FCHV-adv hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to the programme in Germany by 2011.

Tadashi Arashima, President and CEO Toyota Motor Europe, said: "We firmly believe that fuel cell hybrid vehicles will play a major role in reducing emissions and achieving sustainable mobility, alongside petrol and plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles. These various applications of full hybrid technology will each play their role and co-exist in the future."

"Toyota aims at the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles around 2015. To achieve this goal a hydrogen charging infrastructure is necessary, so close tie-ups between car manufacturers and infrastructure companies are of vital importance."

Other CEP partners are setting up "CO2-free" and hydrogen filling stations at key locations between Berlin and Hamburg and the partnership is also campaigning to increase the proportion of hydrogen fuel produced from renewable sources to 50%.

Toyota is showcasing its latest developments in electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid vehicles, battery design and hydrogen fuel cell hybrid technologies at the Geneva motor show. The presentation includes the FT-EVII concept, the precursor of a production small commuter EV model that Toyota plans to market in the USA in 2012.

Where plug-in hybrid technology is concerned, the first 600 Prius Plug-in-Hybrids are already on the road in a worldwide leasing project, including around 200 in Europe. Toyota will analyse the way the cars, charging patterns and user feedback with a view to verifying the car's overall environmental and technological performance before it is put on general sale.

Toyota is also advancing battery technology, through its own research department established in 2008, and a jointly funded partnership with Panasonic EV Energy (PEVE) which will see three facilities in Japan manufacturing more than one million battery packs a year by September.

Although lithium-ion batteries deliver a superior volume energy density and quicker recharging than the nickel-metal hydride type, they are more expensive to produce. Toyota is seeking ways of significantly reducing their cost, or identifying a more affordable alternative.

The Toyota FCHV-adv is also on show at Geneva, demonstrating the company's success in improving driving range and very cold weather operation. Compared to the original FCHV, the world's first production fuel cell vehicle, its high pressure hydrogen storage tanks give a cruising range of more than 500 miles, more than twice that of its predecessor.

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Kia is debuting its first all-electric plug-in concept car, based on the just-arrived Venga, at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Venga EV concept car is identical to the regular Venga B-segment MPV but features an electric motor producing 80 kW and maximum torque of 280 Nm. Venga EV is capable of accelerating from standstill to 62mph in 11.8 seconds, and reaching a top speed of 87 mph.

The concept EV includes a twin-pack 24 kWh battery using innovative LiPoly (Lithium Ion Polymer) technology that offers numerous advantages over other battery types, and provides a driving range of 112 miles on a single charge.

Under the quick recharging cycle (50 kW) the battery can be recharged to 80 percent of its capacity within 20 minutes. Under the normal cycle (3.3 kW), 100 percent power is attained after eight hours.

The Venga EV is a front-wheel drive vehicle with the electric powertrain placed within the existing engine bay. The battery pack is located under the boot floor. As an all-electric, zero-emissions vehicle that is solely powered by electric energy stored inside its battery, the Venga EV will contribute to increased environmental protection.

The Venga EV represents Kia Motors' continuing commitment to earth-positive R&D and marks an additional dimension in the company's development of eco-friendly vehicles.

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