City council leader Bob Price welcomed a trial of 40 electric Minis in the county, part of a nationwide trial of green forms of transport.

The Mini E research consortium, a partnership of BMW Mini in Cowley, Oxford Brookes University and Scottish and Southern Energy, are sharing £25m of funding with seven other green transport schemes and drivers will start trialling the Mini Es on Oxfordshire’s roads in the autumn.

Mr Price said: “We are very pleased with this news and will be supporting the Mini E trial as part of our exceptional commitment to combating climate change and carbon emissions.”