The council, which already has 29 public charging points and an online map of their locations, believes more companies will be willing to invest in an electric vehicle having seen the benefits first hand. Companies taking part will feed their experiences back to the council, which will make them publicly available as case studies.

Launched in Camden today with local celebrities Victoria Wood, Ben Elton and Derek Jacobi, the scheme will extend to local residents early next year, who will be able to book one-day test drives of the vehicles.

Camden Council’s cabinet member for sustainability and transport, councillor Sean Birch, said: ‘Electric cars are a very important and practical way to improve air quality. Camden is the perfect location for electric car use and we want to get as many businesses as possible to take up electric, reduce the use of polluting petrol and diesel and protect the environment for us and future generations.’

The vehicles include a mixture of cars and light commercial vehicles, with the Nissan LEAF, Mitsubishi i-MiEv, Tata Ace EV Mini Truck and Renault Kangoo Van Z.E. offered at launch. Further models will be added as they become available.

Businesses wishing to book a trial can call the council on 0207 974 2260 or email airquality@camden.gov.uk.