A CAVALCADE of close to 100 clean-fuelled vehicles drove from Battersea Park to Earls Court on the opening day of the London Motor Show. The convoy was organised by Powershift, the Energy Saving Trust's three-year programme aimed at establishing clean emission vehicles in the UK.

Powershift will fund half of the difference in price between a normal vehicle and one powered by liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas or electricity. £20 million of vehicle orders have already been placed through Powershift, including six LPG police cars with constabularies in Hampshire, Humberside, Surrey, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, two prototype natural gas black cabs with Green Taxis, and an electric van and minibus with Heathrow Electric Van Project.

Jonathan Murray, Powershift programme manager, said the main interest in alternatively fuelled vehicles had come from local authorities, parcel delivery companies and large corporate fleets. 'The bias is towards urban areas where local government is already talking about closing city centres or restricting access through its duties to monitor and take action to ensure local air quality stays within target levels.'