His quest for an electric car had taken place over a number of years, including travelling to the other side of the world to enquire into the options available in Europe - only to find his solution would be just an hour away.

The vehicle known as an ‘evMe’ was officially launched in the Armidale Mall yesterday after four years of research, and Mr Eastwood received the keys to the first vehicle released.

While he will not officially take the car on the road until January as it is needed for the production of further vehicles, Mr Eastwood said he felt it would be a revolutionary moment in the progress of motor transport.

“I think it is like a genie being let out of the bag. All my life I have been testing new things and wanted to find an alternate option,” he said.

“I like to think that by the time little Howie (grandson) gets his licence he will never know driving in a fuel powered car.”

Energetique gained approval to use the body of a mazda 2 for their first model with the efficiencies and performance of the car being achieved through the integration of the world’s most advanced power electronics and energy storage technologies.

It does not have a gear box as the drive motor is a unique, liquid cooled hybrid synchronous motor that provides power from the start to maximum speed.

The outlet where the vehicle is charged takes the place of where a fuel tank would usually be and has a range of 200 to 300km per charge with a top speed of 130kph.

The ‘evMe’ can be charged through a domestic socket within a period of 10 minutes to two hours dependent on wattage.

Numerous benefits arise from electric vehicles but none more so than the reduction in running costs. An average consumption rate of 10-15 KWhs per 100kms translates to a cost of $2-3 per 100kms.

Energetique is planning the release of 100 vehicles next year by pre-order as part of their pilot program with the cost expected to be somewhere between $60,000 and $65,000. CEO Phil Coop said there has already been a great deal of interest.

“It is good to finally get to this point. We have had a huge response from the public and it has all been positive. We already have 100 to 150 names in our database who have expressed their interest in the car and now we just have to start building them,” he said.