FLEETS already trialling Th!nk electric vehicles have given them their approval as Ford targets more urban-based organisations. Southampton City Council and London-based advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather are running trials with the 'green' vehicle, and Ford is scaling up its promotion of the project in the UK with DHL preparing to lease its first Th!nk Cities.

Jakob Alkil, vice-president of marketing and sales for Th!nk Mobility, Europe, said because the cars look so different they are a visible sign of a company's commitment to the environment. He said: 'There has been a lot of initial interest but the difficulty is transferring the interest to orders. But we have found that the Th!nk cars have a positive impact on the image of a company.'

Paul Bellamy, DHL facilities manager, said: 'We had two on trial before Christmas and it was very successful. Our first two vehicles are ordered and should be with us by early April, and after a three-month evaluation we will be looking to expand the fleet of Th!nk cars to 10.

GlaxoSmithKline is conducting trials with the Th!nk City and Th!nk Bike - a compact folding bicycle with the option of electrically assisted travel. Fleet manager Trish Neil said: 'We are interested in the environmental aspect of using the vehicles and we have recently taken delivery of Th!nk City and Th!nk Bike. It's early days yet, and we have only used them on the premises so far, but we like the concept very much.'