Transport Minister Norman Baker MP has officially opened the Zero Carbon Futures Performance Track and Low Emission vehicle development centre in Washington, Tyne & Wear.
The centre is designed to facilitate development of transport for the future, providing a location for academics, automotive manufacturers and system developers to test and trial new technologies.
The 92-acre test track at Nissan's Sunderland plant has been signed over to Gateshead College on a 20-year lease as the nation's first performance track for low carbon vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Baker took the inaugural drive around the test track, in a Smith Edison all-electric van, produced by Smith Electric Vehicles.
Smith Electric, which is also based in Washington, has leased the first of the track's five workshops for its own vehicle development work.
