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Picking up a bargain in the January sales is a tradition as firmly entrenched in the UK as Christmas, and this year ethical shoppers won't be left out -- as long as they have a few grand spare, that is. GoingGreen is having a sale this month, which will see G-Wiz electric cars driving silently off the forecourt for as little as £2,999.
Ex-demonstration models will start at just below £3,000, and all second-hand cars will be reduced by £500. Those opting for a brand-spanking new car will be able to get free leather seats on the (relatively) speedy new G-Wiz i -- normally a £499 optional extra.
The sale will start on 5 January, and runs until the end of the month or when stock runs out, whichever comes first. You can pick one up online, or head to the GoingGreen depot in Southall on a Saturday.
If you have been thinking of switching to an electric car, then now might be the time. You can either spend £3,000 on your Oyster card this year, or get mobile in a low-emissions vehicle. You get free parking and recharging in Westminster, and you won't have to pay the congestion charge -- a pretty convincing argument.
06 January 2008 11:30am
Electric cars are an excellent idea and i'm all for them, but it would be wise to read this http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23395549-details/G-Wiz alert as the electric car fails safety tests/article.do article before rushing out to buy one of these cars...
07 January 2008 12:04pm
Hi TJ, thanks for that. Yep, the Top Gear pics are pretty shocking, but it's worth pointing out for balance that this saftey test isn't legally mandatory even for 'normal' cars. Many manufacturers don't take the test, so we don't know if they'd crush like this too. On a more personal note, I've driven the G-Wiz in London several times before and never got up to 40mph (the speed the car was crashed in the test). You're lucky to hit 30mph, due to a combination of the car being v.slow and the traffic being massively congested. Still, yes, it'd be nice if the G-Wiz didn't fold up like this!
11 September 2008 01:34pm
All I need to know about how deadly that thing would be in even a slow speed bump (or a 30-40mph one that I would likely walk away from with some bruises in my 10-year-old hatch) is expressed in the evasive language on GoinGreen's G-Wiz FAQ section on safety. Apparently it doesn't need to be built safe because the average speed is only 10mph? Note AVERAGE. If you consider you're stopped about a third of the time, and spend a while accelerating and braking, there's still plenty of scope for getting up to or exceeding 30 without much issue. Not for long, mind, but long enough to have an accident if something goes awry - and, if the TG test is to be believed, lose your legs or possibly be crushed to death. There's no need for them to be so cagey and put spin on it with that "average" claim (every other vehicle will be averaging about the same, remember, though cycles will go a bit faster). My average speed to work across birmingham is in the low 20s on a good day (high teens on a bad one), but I still like having an airbag and well-designed and built crumple zones in front of me, good brakes and tyres on all four wheels, sharp steering and responsive suspension - in case some nutter departs their side of the A38M when we're briefly doing 50 both ways.
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