ExCeL to be site of bigger, better show with plenty of electric vehicles to try out

EcoVelocity, the motor show that showcased pure-electric, hybrid and very low emission vehicles, will come to London for its second year running. The show, which launched last September at the Battersea Power Station, will move to ExCeL London and run from 10th to 13th May, 2012.

Organisers chose dates in May in order to avoid being left in the dust as virtually all media attention will be focussed on the London 2012 Olympics, which kick off in earnest from July 27th. Other events aren’t likely to get much of a look in.

ExCeL London is located in the heart of London's Royal Docks between Canary Wharf and London City Airport. And while Battersea Power Station provided an iconic location for the first EcoVelocity show, ExCeL is a much more sensible location for the event. Parking, for example, was pretty much non-existent at Battersea, whereas there’s parking for several thousand cars at the ExCeL site. It’s also easy to get there on public transport.

Giles Brown, managing director of organisers IGME Ltd said: “EcoVelocity got off to a fabulous start at Battersea Power Station, and really stood out from other car events. The show featured 17 of the leading low carbon automotive brands and between them 7,000 test drives were taken during the event by enthusiastic show visitors.”

TheChargingPoint.com was there from start to finish at the last EcoVelocity and we can confirm that the test drives were massively popular, with most major manufacturers present. However, the congestion and relatively short distance around the track meant that people rarely drove at much more than walking pace.

The ExCeL test drive experience will be very different. The planned route, which starts inside an exhibition hall, will allow drivers to take a route up to 3 ½ miles long (although shorter drives are on offer). As these will encompass short bursts of dual carriageway service roads, speeds up to 50mph will be possible.

Organisers will also be looking to reinstate the sort of activities that gave last year’s event such a ‘festival’ atmosphere. These included giving children as young as five-years old the opportunity to get behind the wheel, as well as giant Scalextric-style racing theatres with multiple drivers. The supercar paddock was also popular, featuring cars such as the Tesla Roadster and Bluebird Electric record attempt car.

EcoVelocity was launched in concert with Metro, the free newspaper and organisers say that this relationship will continue.

TheChargingPoint.com will be there again, too, this time with a few extra surprises. We’ll give you clues nearer time, but it’s going to be good. In the meantime, take a look here at our '5 Minutes With...' interview with Giles Brown.