£ 7,000 for an electric car with a top speed of 40mph and an engine that develops 50 pound feet of torque and a range of 40 miles. You might as well buy a Panda or an Aygo.


7 grand i still can't believe it.

rada, Cambridge, England

Jeremy C. does the perfect wind up and half the population falls for it. He's entitled to his 'motoring' opinion and lucky to be able to broadcast it. You don't have to agree with him and you don't have to get annoyed. Just read and watch his other subjects. You might find him, as I do, most entertaining.

Graham Brown, london, uk

Top Gear should buy every one of these G-Wiz things and burn them. It's a stupid concept, you are NOT saving the environment, in fact you are making things worse by increasing our dependance on fosil fuel generated power. Where do these green nuts think electricity comes from? Is it some magical stuff that just appears when it's needed? Does it grow on special trees? No, it comes from burning stuff that the planet hates. Plus it looks awful and can be probably be beaten by any piece of household furniture, not just a table. I was hoping the table was going to win, it was better styled.

Tim, Adelaide, Australia

Does anyone know/care where this snarling beast is made? http://www.revaindia.com/

Deepak, Wayland, USA

I have to say Miha from Trzir in Slovenia makes a great point, Clarkson makes genuine points and people with there silly little lives hate the fact he has a job only they could dream of and really enjoys it too.

We as a nation should be proud of all our inventions we have had over the years, but instead people are too busy focusing on pretend terrorism and nonsense 'eco-babble'.

Nuff Said.

James B, Halifax, Uk

I bet if it had been British built Jeremy would have said nicer things. Unfortunately it is the only electric car available, no more 'oil wars', no £2.00 / litre, no £400.00 road tax(group G 2008) see where this is going.......global peace, maybe not, but I would like to do my bit.

Gill Arnie, Birmingham,

I want to see pictures of Clarkson inside of this thing, it'd make a great Christmas card.

Steve , Live Oak, TX

They might realise potassium permanganate is purple, James, but they would also realise that manganese dioxide (the chemical which stains the skin when handling potassium permanganate) isn't. But then they probably listened in school too.

Steve, Birmingham,

Sorry, but i don't really get your problem with fairtrade. Its not like its some airy fairy marketing word, the idea is to allow people in the third world a chance to trade with us on fair terms, letting them get on their feet and be self-sufficient so they don't have to depend on aid.
I also imagine your excuse for your fingers being yellow would only work on the geography teacher- the others would probably know potassium permanganate is purple.

James, Oxford,

Until these type of cars have a suitable range and performance at an affordable price, leave well alone.
Wth the new high speedtrain London to Paris and the new Bentley Speed model, hope you will rise to this challenge.
Regards fom a fellow speed enthusiast.

peterwd, Sheerness, Kent

I cant blame you for hating the G Wiz i oncesaw it drive past even with that small a glance it made me want to vomit it looked little better than a baked bean can as far as safety is concerened and as for the engine it may as well have a small hamster wheel in there for use by a senior gerbil this car is one of the few things i have ever said that is such a blight on motoring.

Clem Wilson, Church Stretton, Shropshire

A colleague once had a MEGA city (a G-Wiz competitor) round for a test-drive, and the salesman offered me a spin. I must say that he was genuinely friendly and not forceful at all which makes a change from most salespeople.

The car was very uncomfortable to drive, and regenerative brakes take some getting used to as they don't brake much at all unless you press the pedal very hard - at which point it uses proper brakes. The thing also tried to bite me as it automatically closes the windows when you get out - not nice if you have your hand round the door frame!

I just don't see battery technology improving enough to the point where these things will be common. I think electric vehicle probably are inevitably the future, but the power store (I won't call it a source since it isn't) will need to be something else - hydrogen perhaps.

Ben, London,

Jeremy - Get those long legs on a plane to the land of "Do you want cheese with that?" and test drive the Tesla.

Skyneedle, Oslo, Norway

The G-Whiz does sound horrible, but you can always take an ordinary pickup truck, stuff it with lead-acid batteries and a 30-hp motor, and get a city-driving range of 50 or 60 miles on a charge. I know, because I own such a vehicle. At current gas prices in the U.S., it gets the equivalent of 120 miles per gallon. And, Jeremy, you'll hate this one: Seattle, where I live, gets 95% of its electricity from hydro power. My truck is painted green.

CP, Seattle, WA

Jeremy Clarkson, if ever you read this comment, please try driving the Tesla Roadster. Unlike the G-Wiz (which is an insult to electric vehicle technology) the Tesla was designed on a Lotus chassis, and is capable of 250 miles per charge, as well as a 0-60mph acceleration time of under four seconds. Additionally, the Tesla passed California safety standards and it is in no way ugly. Another electric car worth driving is the Wrightspeed X-1 which is an electric version of the Ariel Atom capable of similar (in some aspects, superior) performance figures.

Patrick Leclerc, Otterburn Park, Québec, Canada

Aston from London
The system on the bmw is not proper regenerative braking it is just a way to reduce the load the alternator has on the engine it doesn't actually store the energy to move the car. As i said an ICE cannot do (or at least proper) regenerative braking that will alow the car to use energy it has stored from braking to propel the car.

Second of all im am not part of the anti-car brigade or of anything such. i'm a massive car fan, i love classic cars i go to car shows reguarly (or at least when there on), I go to meetings at classic car clubs and love to see new technolegys for cars. I'll also admit that some of my favourite cars are powered by ICE like the lambo LM002, Jensen interceptor, 300sl, duesenberg SSJ, 1970 plymouth hemi cuda, dodge charger and DB9. I also have many other cars i like that burn petrol and emit co2 but I actually like cars unlike you and if they are going to have a future we have find a fuel that will last

John , swansea, wales

John from Swansea,
BMW 118d, 318d use regenerative braking.

Did you know the new 318/118d makes just 118kg/m? You'll find car manufacturers are going to make the Green car argument very difficult for the proenvironment, anti-car brigade.

Aston, London,

Land Rover Vogue, Absoulutly rubbish mine has gone wrong more times than I can care to count in the last 3 weeks broken down 5 times and have had no customer support from stratstone middleton on the wolds, only told "you have a rogue car, buy a new one!!" and now yet again stranded on a farm with my 4 children 14 miles from anywere they have no replacement vehicle and suggesting I throw another 2000 pounds at it to see if it fixes the problem!!
Is this really a class vehicle? I doubt the high spec and the apparent quality of a vehicle that cost 640000 when purchased 3 years ago and that has gone wrong on a monumental scale, and work done never guarenteed.
An expensive piece of rubbish and a severly poor after sales service.

sue bockling, sledmere, north yorkshire

Clarkson has never created anything other than hot air. He has persuaded millions that consuming big fast flashy motors is what life is all about. Selfishness is what he is about - me me me me - give me - more - faster - flashier - more - more - faster - faster - cooler - more .... And so on. There is no end. Thank god one day we will be able to plug him into an effective virtual reality monster muncher. Where he can consume all the virtual cigarettes and cocaine he wants. And make love to himself. Then the rest of us can potter about at 25 - more than twice as fast as you go in London - and have accidents that do not hurt anyone, in cars that do not weigh anything, in streets that are noise and pollution free, with space for cafes, parks and playgrounds. If cars weighing OVER 350 kg going over 25mph were banned from London we would all get around twice as quickly, without serious injury, and have a lot less trouble parking. Forget the eco reasons !!

George Taylor, Oxford, UK

"The G-Wiz, on the other hand, is near silent, which means they may run in front of you to retrieve a lost ball. "
Do not start this terrible argument. We will end up with electric cars one day, and a generation (at least) will end up with noise generators. This will be the metaphoric man with a flag - Neanderthal, hideous, cauchemar . I crave the silence of an electric car world, and whilst I'm waiting will continue to hide away in the quiet interior of my 7 series. Darwin will take care of those that do not look before they leap.

evans, toronto,

what is the fastest of road car

alex, ryton/newcastle, england

Jeremy you are far to Conservative to be a chemistry student

David Morgan, annecy, france

After safely overtaking a slower vehicle on the A46 a week or so ago, the driver of the Mercedes car coming towards me signaled some displeasure by a wild flashing of headlights and a couple of rapidly administered V signs.
Whilst I'm aware that the art of overtaking has, long ago, been replaced by motorways, increased traffic and the successors to Kenneth Noye, the driver did look suspiciously like .......er, you.
Maybe the real reason was that you were driving a Merc. and I was in my 166?

Jonathan Klineberg, Truro, Cornwall

Michael, Key West; it costs the average family in Britain (mother, father, two children) 16,000 dollars a year for health care. Don't believe the loonies who think it's free, even if it it is doled out like charity.

Ken Leyland, Liverpool, U.K.

I get 72 miles per US gallon (28 kms/liter) on my 250cc Vespa. Of course i live where the sun shines year round and gas costs $3.50 a gallon (91 octane). All I have to do is figure out how to pay for health care....

Michael, Key West, Florida

Here in Chengdu, China (a city on the level) there are thousands of electric rechargeable bikes, quiet, clean and efficient. They retail for the equivalent of only UKP 120 upwards.

Carey, Chengdu, China

Clarkson is a posh teenager in the guise of a 40-or-50-something-year-old tech junkie who has yet to grow out of getting high on gadgets or things that explode or mess up a poorly-paid physics teacher's already thankless day....O and all things with wheels.
The world isn't how it used to be when you were getting your kicks out of being a spoilt, apparently air-headed boy. Yes, it has changed. It's become a darker place, with new problems. Don't, for heaven's sake, use your pseudo-blase-ism to demonstrate your machoistic take on what big whimps and losers environmentalists are - just let them be ! Different people get high on different things - you on gadgets and things on wheels, and them on stuff that looks green !

P.S. Not that's it's any of your concern, but I am not an environmentalist or anything remotely related for that matter.

Udaiveer Anand, London,

The vote itself doesn't happen until December.
If you want to vote, you just need to input your email address - or preferably, your mobile number - and the Science Museum will let you know how to vote when the time comes.

Rod, Swindon,

If the 1BHP Daimler motor carriage had been maligned in such a way , would we have the monstrous Mclaren Mercedes slr? probably . But the point is every new technology has to start somewhere does it not ? Its taken about 100 years of evolution to reach the sophistication of the internal combustion engine we have today , and if electric cars are not seen as an option how will they develop?

matt , sheffield, England

yes, me too. can we have a picture to prove that he actually got in that thing?

barbara, utrecht, netherlands

Is Clarkson scared of electric cars? He alledgedly refused to test drive the new Electric Reliant Robin at Bruntingthorpe as it accelerated to about 6g - now thats power!

Kenco, cardiff, wales

Clarkson, have you ever considered the possibility that you may be mistaken? Ever since I saw you trying to drive a 4x4 to the North Pole using tyre studs (no snow-chains?) and in a fury at being reduced to 1km/hour speeds, wrecked its prop-shaft, I knew what I have always suspected: you are a complete eejit.
Attitudes like yours are not only responsible for the mess the planet is in but will ensure it never gets out of it.

Michael W. Vere, Kingsbridge, UK

Clarkson is our only hope to save the planet from Eco-Talibans :-)

Miha, Trzin, Slovenia

Potassium permanagate is purple, but it stains brown (DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME) because it is an oxidant.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

Andrew Dale, let's compare apples to apples here. If you want to use a generator powering a single home to represent petrol-based power, let's be fair. In your electric car, see how much fossil fuel you need to produce your battery, charge it, then recycle it when the battery dies (which it will), and do this on a single-unit production scale, as you've required the house generator to do. Also, don't forget that home electricity is pulled from a generator station, which probably uses fossil fuels to create the electricity, i.e. there is still pollution, just not in your living room. Relatively few power stations use renewable energy.

On top of it all, Clarkson isn't bashing the car simply because it's green. He also doesn't claim petrol engines are more efficient than electricity. He's bashing the car because it's a stupid design. There are better ways to be green.

Geoff, cars are heavier because of demand for crash safety, creature comforts, etc.

Danny, San Jose, CA, USA

Get off the bandwagon Clarkson! In a globalised world it doesn't matter that we don't produce scientists just as it doesn't matter that we don't mine our own coal, or grow all of our own food. Whats true at an individual level is true at a national level - investment bankers, lawyers and accountants earn more. These people enable the good ideas scientists come up with to be applied commercially, and ultimately take home the money. The decline in the popularity of the sciences is a product of our place in the global economy. If there really was critical dearth of scientist we would see their wages rising - they're not. On the other hand the City workers' remuneration has rocketed. What the market is telling us is that to compete in the global arena we need more lawyers, more bankers, more venture capitalists and more accountants. Besides, ultimately its these people who keep alive the companies that make the cars you love. Scientists don't drive Ferraris, middle aged lawyers do.

Mark, London,

How on earth do you get away with telling the truth like that? Fun to hear it though, like going to the museum. Keep it up (at least until Putin's copy editors pay a visit with a salt shaker and a tea bag).

Harry, Wilton, Connecticut

That thing has a back seat?!? At best, I'd call it a padded parcel shelf with seat-belts. What an exercise in sadism it is to subject pets to that 'seat', never mind small children.

To Susannah Frieze of Hammersmith I say yes, small children were designed by God for the back seat of a car; but the Reva G-Wiz's back 'seat' certainly wasn't designed for them.

The Earth is dying! And if you crash one of these, so are you...

Carl Schultz, Adelaide, South Australia

What can You expect from a european regulation that limits these quadricycles at 350 Kg in weight and its speed at 45 km/h (with a 5.4 bhp engine)? Well, You can expect a basquet on wheels that is unsafe for its passengers (driver and passenger [singular], really) and that slows traffic to the point of causing a multi-mile jam that causes other cars to burn several tons of fossil fuel and a few neurons.

Unlike Jemery, I like small cars. They may be part of the solution until some Indian or Chinese embraces the ancient and «british» art of invention discovers the graal. Instead of dreaming about some magic solution either from scientists or environmentalists we should all be taking better mobility decisions right now.

The bruxelliots that invented the 45 Km/h 350 Kg car must only be commited to its unpopularity and ultimate inexistence as a valid alternative to the V8. As it is, this concept is bound to fail.

Rui Duarte, Lisbon,

Why do all electric cars look rubbish? None of the mare big enough to even do a groceries shop in.

Alex, London,

Hello Life on Mars, yes, Potassium Permanganate IS purple. Only Jeremy Clarkson thinks it's yellow. Ironically funny for someone complaining about poor science education. If great humour rather than rational individual action were to counter global warming, Clarkson's hot air would be welcome, but it's individuals' behaviour which will count, starting with not driving half the cars the author raves about. Yes the G Wiz looks ugly, but the effect of the 4WDs driven around by the psychologically-needy morons of Chelsea etc. is far uglier!

ruskee, London,

It would have to be a "Rodney" that thinks a car's lack of safety features may actually be a benefit (reference to earlier comment) !

This car seems to fall somewhere between Grandpa's mobility cart and that Toyota Yaris that I always seem to be stuck behind on a single-lane carriageway.

As someone else mentioned, these types of vehicles need their own lane, or give them a bit more go so they can at least get out of trouble faster than they got into it !

John Robinson, Thetford, UK

Once again clarkson demonstrates the science that Sniff Petrol is funnier and just as irrelevant.

Matthew, Sacramento, CA, USA

What a truly horrible vehicle. Put a huge lump of potassium in it and push it into the nearest swimming pool.

Kerensa, London,

I though Potassium Permanagnate was purple. Wasn't that the stuff you used to sprinkle on the ground to watch the worms writhe up out of the dirt in agony?
Jeremy, Kristen Scott Thomas likes the G Wiz, so does any of this really matter?

Life On Mars, Somewhere, Yorkshire

Isn't it funny how H&S rules can fly out of the window all in the name of the Environment - just shows what a nonsense the whole H&S Industry is.

Dan, London, England

it is not a car, its an silly toy, applience, id be better off jogging

peter, gdansk, poland

"About time someone said electric cars need mains power and any physics educated person knows that changing energy is inefficient so burning petrol in the engine is the best method at the moment.

mitch, wolverhampton, England"

Petrol engines are 25% efficent at burning petrol. electric cars are more than 80% efficent (including charging) and if we don't use this technolegy it give the manufactures and engeniers any motive to advance it so Mr Mitch i think you should check your physics and relise that electric cars are more efficent. Not only are they more efficent they have less moving parts (motor wise) so less things to wear out, they are quiet and perfect foe modern motoring. I am a fan of classic cars and love the ICE but we need to move on. All new car should be electric.

John, swansea, wales

A Doctorate in Physics is basically the same as a Medical Doctor???

Dont medical practitioners get paid for the level of stress and pressure placed upon them together with their skill responsibility and life long learning?

I don't think a physics teacher is under that much pressure teaching a class of 30 from 9 - 3:30 every day!

J, Cheshire, UK

Surely it shouldn't get any stars - 1 star seems way too generous from the review! How bad does a car have to be to get no stars?

David James, London,

I'm still baffled as to how he fit in it.

Farrukh, Woking, UK

yes pot ash is yellow the big man must be thinking of copper sulphate

iain, scotland,

Maik, Arnhem, The Netherlands I dont think you read my post correctly I don't like the G-Wiz period. I like electric cars. the tesla roadster does 200miles per charge. I dont you understand Maik that oil will eventualy run out thats a fact!! (or at least the price will rise to unafordable costs) No matter how low the C02 is being released. If you chose the ICE route oil become depleted and you will have to find a new way of powering cars which will probably be electricity but the technolegy would not have moved on at a high rate so electric cars will have low range like today. But if you chosse the electric route there will be transition period where there is demand for electric cars (while ICE cars are still available), techonlegy will move at a higher rate (manufactures wanting to better each other). So when oil becomes unaffordable we will have electric cars that can take over completely so Maik as you can see you will have to chosse electric cars sooner or later.

John, swansea, wales

I've rolled my eyes at all the ignorant jibes at my G-Wiz so many times that I will soon be taken for the lunatic that Clarkie seems to become when talking about my car. If I start being pious and defensive I may also froth at the mouth. So I will be brief. Our esteemed JC is an over-tall, rural petrolhead. Why would he EVER like the G-Wiz? I am an averagely sized mother of two small children (the creatures God designed for the back seat) who hates other mothers' Chelsea tractors. As I race through London faster than most cars because I can nip through the gaps in the traffic; as I whip into a parking space - as I always can because any little nook and cranny can take me; and as I sweep down narrow inner-London streets that most other cars can no longer fit both ways down and therefore have to wait turns on each other - then I thank God for my G-Wiz and wait patiently until my fellow urbanites all see the light - then we can all G-Wiz round London, free from jams and pollution.

Susannah Frieze, Hammersmith, London,

Looks like one of those invalid cars from the 1950s. Yuk.

Michael J Cawood, Wrexham, Wales, UK

Putting down electric like this wont help!

Please start doing your bit for the world.

abhi, Lancs, Lancs

It's an insult to electric transport.

We need more products like the Telsa Roadster before people actually start buying electric vehicles en-masse.

Phelan Restin, Big Rock, USA/ IL

Haargh; when she was young my granny (now deceased)used to use a potassium permanganate bath on her legs to fake the appearance of nylon stockings (with a seam of eyeliner pencil up the back!). The crystals are purple but they dye skin yellow to brown depending on exposure.

Richard, Plymouth, England

So, we get a well known anti-environment right-winf loudmouth to review environmentally-friednly transport. Surprise, surpise - he hates it! Did we really need to read the article to find that out? And as for the numpties who seem to think that a petrol engine is cleaner and more efficient - try running your house on a petrol generator in the garden. When you've found out how much it is costing you, move the generator into the living room and you'll very quickly find out how much pollution it produces.

Andrew Dale, London,

Clarkson your a legend! I agree with your views entirely!

DL, Twickenham,

what this does demonstrate is that people are willing to put with quite a lot of discomfort in order to be green

hence - does the new Golf, Civic, Corsa etc really have to be nearly DOUBLE the weight of their first incarnations.

Perhaps the key to saving the planet is a Mk1 Golf with a modern 0.7 litre engine

geoff, northallerton,

Hello Haaargh. Yes Potassium permanganate is purple but ,as with quite a few things, Jeremy Clarkson is correct in saying it stains the fingers brown

alan burden, Mijas, spain

The inadequate safety features could be looked upon as beneficial for some people. If fitted with a more powerful engine, as seems to be the fashion with manufacturers these days, then, in their own interests, it might encourage them to drive a little more carefully.

Rodney, Guildford, UK

If you live in Spain you will know that little 'sin carnet' cars have been around for years. They are classified as something like lawnmowers but mean that you don't need a license to drive them – but some of them are quite well designed, particularly the pick up. But I think they are dangerous as they putter along at a really slow speed driven often by some campasino who probably can't read road signs. These cars would be good, G wiz included, if they had special roads for them or could use cycle paths. You can't help thinking though that all the present ideas will all end up in the science museum warehouse along with other redundant technologies and bigoted, but funny, motoring correspondents.

ian Whiteman, Cambridge, UK

Adrian says "the first thing I see is a picture if Edison, making the claim that he invented the light bulb." - Jeremy's point exactly, the knowledge of Science in Britain is falling like apples in Sir Isaac's time. It needs more funding and more inspiration.

Sir Isaac, Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire

Miak I would also rather be in a Tesla Roadster to Daihatsu Sirion or what not. so if you think that the future is driving round in small hatchback so be it but i would rather buy a tesla roadster manufacturing may not be efficent at the moment but that will improve as technolegy advances the ICE has been in the mainstream of car powerplants for more than a century and it has moved on but it is hitting its wall of maximum efficency so let it die electric cars are only at the begining of what they can achieve and will advance far exceding the ICE. I think your problem is you have no imagination and cannot see what the electric car will be.

John, swansea, wales

Isn't potassium permanganate purple?

Haaargh, London,

Jeremy Clarkson for Prime Minister of UK! Let the sun rise again!

Phil, Auckland, New Zealand

Well my 35 year old Series 3 Land Rover has with out a doubt paid it's manufacturing costs off.

The Prius only lasts 8 years, so what is greener?

Trevor Bean, Grantham, Lincs, UK

Buy a bike with panniers and a raincoat.

Adrian, Sydney, Australia

Ok Clarkson, you (and the Science Museum) may talk the talk - but as for walking the walk....

You asked us to vote for the Science Museum - by going to www.voteinspired.org.uk. Yet despite your encouragement to vote, and despite the web address - was there a "Vote Now" button? - there was not. I searched the site and the best I could come up with was a "supportus" link - where I can send an email to someone. BUT NO VOTING !!!!!

Scientists and Engineers say what they mean and mean what they say. If they say vote - they will provide the ability to vote. Sending an email or sms or phone call is not the same as voting. Science is epitomised by clarity so as to avoid wating everyone's (and in particular, my) time in fruitless web site searches.

For this Clarkson you get 1 / 10 - and the Science Museum a "could do better"

David Crowther, Nottingham, UK

I'm sorry, John from Swansea, but you are talking rubbish. Yes, it's true that some of the energy is no longer made from fossil fuel, but that just won't take away the idea that a G-wiz is a wrong concept. At first, as Jeremy says, it's highly unsafe because of a lack of safety issues and proper suspension. Secondly, it will get you less then 40 miles before you'll run out of juice. But mostly, an electric car, like a Hybrid car, has batteries. To make batteries alone for an electric car uses more energy then for BMW to build an M5. Furthermore, the average car battery has a life expectancy of 8 years. A new battery pack for a Toyota Prius will cost about 6.000 pounds, so the car will be economically totalled after 8 years! I'm not making this up, this was told to me by someone from the same company which among other things build the Bugatti Veyrons engine. These are proper scientists. Green cars therefore are cars like small Daihatsu's, VW Lupo TDI's or even the latest BMW 1-series.

Maik, Arnhem, The Netherlands

I took a look at the web site mentioned in the article, and the first thing I see is a picture if Edison, making the claim that he invented the light bulb. If this is the standard of research at a British Science museum, I have little hope for the rest of the science

Adrian Davies, Fremont, California

ICE cars can use regenerative braking, BMW use it to augment the traditional alternator.

Jamie, Ohio, USA

Eeuw. Its shocking.

Ricky, CT, South Africa

Electric cars "I’m sorry but it runs on juice from a power station" True but emissions will become centralized and more controllable. Not all our electricity is fossil fuel thought about 75% is but this number will decrease. Even when being charged from electricity generated by fossil fuels it is still cleaner than most cars powered by internal combustion engines. Electreic cars give you the opertunity to recapture energy via regenerative braking (something ICE cars cannont do) which increases thier range and efficency. They are all so cheaper to run (cheaper to charge than to fill up a regular car, less moving parts in an electric motor than a ICE so less likley for parts to wear out.) Another alternative is hydrogen but this is very unefficent compared with electricity. As for the G-wiz i dont like it much but i like electric vechiels. They are the future and sometimes you have to go backwards to move forwards

John, swansea,

Electric cars "I’m sorry but it runs on juice from a power station" True but emissions will become centralized and more controllable. Not all our electricity is fossil fuel thought about 75% is but this number will decrease. Even when being charged from electricity generated by fossil fuels it is still cleaner than most cars powered by internal combustion engines. Electreic cars give you the opertunity to recapture energy via regenerative braking (something ICE cars cannont do) which increases thier range and efficency. They are all so cheaper to run (cheaper to charge than to fill up a regular car, less moving parts in an electric motor than a ICE so less likley for parts to wear out.) Another alternative is hydrogen but this is very unefficent compared with electricity. As for the G-wiz i dont like it much but i like electric vechiels. They are the future and sometimes you have to go backwards to move forwards

Name withheld, swansea,

Nice one Jeremy! If you want to save the world, ride a damn bicycle or take the bus. It's not embarassing and you could meet chick or two...

Gabriel, Athens, Greece

Dr Williams says
it pays too poorly to attract anything but the least poorly qualified graduates

Apart from the cacophonous repetition, surely he/she means the MOST poorly qualified graduates? There´s not much point in knowing science (or indeed anything) if the meaning communicated is the oposite of the intended. Clearly not a D. Phil in English;-)

John, Madrid,

Clarkson for Mayor, seriously.

Why not, Jeremy?

James, London,

When you charge it at night you use power that otherwise would be wasted. Thermal electricity plants cannot be ramped down quickly enough for the low demand at night.

And for the one speed automatic question: Electrical engines have higher torque the lower the rev so they dont need gears. And they rev from zero so they dont need clutches either.

j. mykle, Trondheim, Norway

Mr. Clarkson, you should come to Brazil to drive some of the cars we have here...1960's engineering with a year 2000 (supposedly) face....I bet you´d get back to the UK a happy man.

Paul, Sao Paulo, Brazil

The future for cars is six-stroke engines. They have a separate combustion chamber that allows a "charge" of air to become heated, therefore expansive and provide an additional stroke when released. It can result in a fuel efficiency increase of about 1/3. And no loss in performance! This doesn't sound like much, but do the math... of well over a billion cars world wide.

Bob S., London, UK

The G-wiz should never be allowed on our roads.It is far to slow and the top gear crash test was horrendous.I see no valid reason why people would buy an £8200 G wiz when they could buy a Fiat panda or a Toyota Aygo for considerably less.

Jayne BLAKE, Bristol,

At first, I thought that for two trips to the local shops each week it would be adequate. Then I realised that for 2.14% of the purchase price - £150 - you could get a bicycle. What a truly awful car!

Michael, Brighton, England

The G-Wiz is a decided hazard in my opinion. Returning from a hard days work I was tripped up by a power cable running from someone's house to their electric sewing machine. Also I really do not like the way that owners of this car and people who own those 50% cars such as the SMART car insist on parking in the spare bits of space one leaves to be able to get one's Range Rover OUT of its parking space. Someone needs to demonstrate the effect of what happens when a Landrover accidentally reverses over one of these plastic contraptions.

Julian Taylor, London, UK

@Dr williams, you had me up until the point about doctors in general practice. The pressure on medical doctors dwarfs anything experienced by someone with a docotorate in physics. The vast majority of medical doctors are not paid as much as you think and furthermore, training in medicine is lifelong and does not end at medical school or post graduate GP training or hospital based speciality training. In addition to treating patients, doctors take on alifelong commitment to training the next generation of clinicians too. It seems even someone with a docotorate in physics can be fooled by governement and media spin about the pay and conditions of those in the medical profession.

Dr Miah, Manchester,

Jeremy loves physics! Who knew?

Edwin Rogers, Auckland, New Zealand

I used to have such fun in science classrooms: mixing hydrogen and oxygen in a bottle and igniting it with a bang!Tesla coils throwing out millions of volts in lightning bolts of electricity that could melt metal, but was harmless and could pass thro; to humans because of the very high frequency. Scary stuff, but safe

Health & Safety has gone too far in this country and has killed the joy of science!

Michael Parsons, London,

About time someone said electric cars need mains power and any physics educated person knows that changing energy is inefficient so burning petrol in the engine is the best method at the moment.

mitch, wolverhampton, England

63g of CO2 per km?
Same as a Prius then, and let's face it, Hybrid technology is still in its infancy. No doubt the next generation of hybrids will leave a smaller carbon footprint than these ridiculous plug in golf carts that rely on power transmitted from miles away.
Have no fear Jeremy, scientists are leading the way out of the greenhouse trap. Some of them are even British. But all of them are working in Japan.
Now to vote at http://www.voteinspired.org.uk/

Justin Gardiner, Yokohama, Japan

Shame about the car, but an article that tells the truth about the jolly old UK. Bring back Tomorrows World when it was good to view our new inventions and be challenged by other nationalities ideas and to be viewd on prime time telly.
Then if we are going to milk the Lottery and use it for what a government should be funding, make sure that short termism is put against a wall and shot. An example was the linear induction motor, shown to the public on TM then funding withdrawn, now used in so many countries, but do we lead the world in that technology? The same can be said for wave power and numerous other fields in which we have great ideas but the nations drive and ability to get behind them and see them as a fabulous long term investment is oh so lacking.
So lets get the Science Museum's project funded and marvel at all our hidden treasures, what a wonderful stimulating treat that will be, and who knows what brilliant ideas will emerge and delight and challenge us.

Malcolm Edwards, London, Great Britain

A probable perfect piece of literary insight only made more accurate by the correct use of the CO2 emission for this abomination- C02 Equivalent of 63g/km if charged from fossil-fuel source.
As with the Prius this car may be marketed as greener than a jolly large wind turbine but the construction, chemical composition of the batteries plus the aforementioned use of, practically no-doubt in the UK, a fossil-fuelled source only adds further octane to your arguments.

chriski, manchester, UK

As someone with a D.Phil. in Physics working in banking, it is depressing to see the state of science education in Britain today. University departments closing, no new blood entering the teaching profession because it pays too poorly to attract anything but the least poorly qualified graduates, and pseudo science taking over the media. Government after government have seen this coming, but have done nothing about it other than further degrade and cheapen the teaching profession. Never truer is the saying "those who can't, teach".

Bring on the day when someone with a doctorate in physics can be paid the same for teaching science as a doctor working in general practice (and why not? the length of training, the complexity of the subject, and the importance to the country is basically comparable), and the problem would be fixed within 12 months.

Dr Williams, Oxford, England

Spot on Mr Clarkson. Please go into politics as soon as humanly possible !!

Peer, cHELMSFORD, eSSEX

My dear Jeremy, you've wanged the nail on the crumpet! If you like the idea of an electric car, check out teslamotors.com for a truly wonderful solution. It's got decent range, performance, and you can get it with a CD of loud engine noises (just kidding). One of the guys at Tesla calls cars like the Gwiz "punishment cars." If you're going to have an electric car, you'll have to pay. Dearly. Wear it counts (ie, knees, buttocks, neck, etc.). But on behalf of all electrics, please don't disdain that the electricity comes from power plants. Keep in mind that power plants are more efficient and more environmentally controlled than autos. Cars cannot carry the same degree of polution controls that power plants have built in. Power generated at a power plant is cheaper (but not cheap), cleaner (but not clean) and (depending on your model of car) more reliable. And, home-produced solar power can easily off-set the power used. But, range and performance (like tesla) are essential. Cheers!

Dan'l, Gorham, US (Maine)

Like Russian Rock 'n Roll, the Reva is a bad interpretation of something wonderful. The electric car is the next evolutionary step for the car - for the same reason that white goods should never be powered by the internal combustion engine - yet I'm always stunned by how the Riva could go make it to production without anyone noticing its ugliness!! It begs for aesthetic proportions. It needs to be scaled up. If it were bigger, longer, and wider, people would scratch each others' eyes out to jump the delivery queue. Instead it only warms to a lunatic fringe, that want to be seen to make a strong Green statement.

Derek Bell-Morris, Perth, West Australia

This is odd. Only the other day JC (on a Top Gear repeat) said it was "OK" whilst interviewing Krisitin Scott Thomas.

Rob, Brum, UK

It’s good to know that someone has a bit of commonsense, my friend (should be more of an acquaintance) has gewiz and always raves on about how cheap it is to use in London and that it helps the environment. what he doesn't tell you is that when it rains you cant have the windscreen wipers and lights on at the same time, you cant use the heater in the winter and if you give someone a lift it also uses to much power as i found out when I had to walk the last mile in the rain, cheers Ben!
I’m not an environmentalist but my bus/tube pass it better, faster, cheaper, safer and I still have some self respect.

andrew , london, uk

Can you PLEASE get back to reviewing serious cars. Not dinky toys that are a complete waste of time, especially here in Australia. Sydney to Perth in this! NO!

Stephen White, Sydney, Australia

God I hate the G-Wiz! How can such a slow, unsafe and impractical car be deemed suitable for life on the roads? And Jeremy's spot on with how the G-Wiz actually get its power! The museum sounds very interesting though; I hope it does go ahead in the end! Another fantastic article from a fantastic journalist!

Sean, Derbyshire, UK

Electric cars "I’m sorry but it runs on juice from a power station" True but emissions will become centralized and more controllable. Not all our electricity is fossil fuel thought about 75% is but this number will decrease. Even when being charged from electricity generated by fossil fuels it is still cleaner than most cars powered by internal combustion engines. Electreic cars give you the opertunity to recapture energy via regenerative braking (something ICE cars cannont do) which increases thier range and efficency. They are all so cheaper to run (cheaper to charge than to fill up a regular car, less moving parts in an electric motor than a ICE so less likley for parts to wear out.) Another alternative is hydrogen but this is very unefficent compared with electricity. As for the G-wiz i dont like it much but i like electric vechiels. They are the future and sometimes you have to go backwards to move forwards

john, swansea,

Thank you again Jeremy for championing British ingenuity in science and technology and reminding us of what we have to lose if we don’t reverse the current trends in its public perception and the shrinking opportunities in science and engineering education.

Tim Hurdle, Bristol,

Single speed automatic gearbox? What exactly is it doing automatically?

Neil, York, UK