Posted on August 11th, 2011 by Jeremy Barnett

In a well crafted response, Top Gear claim that 

• They never said they were testing the range of the EV
• They never said what the distance of the journey was
• They knew the Nissan could monitor the distance
• The point was to question dealer claims about EV use.

Click here to read their full explanation,( no doubt drafted by the legal department..)

The general tone of the denial is that the point of the film was to show that an EV is not a practical 'city car' as the dealers claim. They say that the Nissan Leaf is a very good car 'per se' but it is the battery and the charging capacity that is the weak link. It also points out that fast charging can severley shorten the battery life.

The problem is that Clarkson has touched a raw nerve here. This technology is still in its infancy, and there is a long way to go before electric vehicles can compete in terms of cost and convenience. There is however no doubt that there is a massive potential for carbon reduction and breaking our reliance on fossil fuels if the manufactures get it right. There is no point in critising Top Gear - after all the reason this is the top show in the UK is that it is controversial and a good laugh. A recent poll put Clarkson as favourite to be Prime Minister - 50,000 people cant be wrong!

In true Top Gear style, the only way to settle this issue is by organising a genuine 'Top Gear Challenge' to test the claims of the manufacturers. I am certain that Nissan and Peugot will cooperate - provided that there is an independent referee! Lets see if Top Gear are prepared to 'put up or shut up'!

You can follow this on twitter at #topgear

Filed under: Smart Grid | V2G

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