High street electrical store Comet has launched a pilot scheme that offers customers free charging for their electric vehicles.

Comet is the first retailer to offer the service to customers, with Plug and Go points in its store car park in Purley Way, Croydon.

The Plug and Go scheme came about in response to the growing popularity of electric vehicles as the Government strives to meet its CO2 emission target by 2010.

Should the initiative prove successful the intention is that the service will be rolled out across Comet stores nationwide.

As an electrical specialist, the retailer also announced it was in talks to sell electric cars as soon as they became available.

In the 1980s Comet stocked the first electric car, the Sinclair C5, making sales of electric cars a natural extension to the Comet range.

With road traffic in Greater London contributing to more than 18 per cent of all CO2 emissions nationwide, electric vehicles are high on the agenda of the Mayor, Boris Johnson, who is aiming for London to be the European electric vehicle capital.

Mr Johnson said: “I want London to be at the forefront of the electric car revolution and we can only do this if we make it easy for people to charge up their electric vehicles. I would like to give Comet a congratulatory pat on the back for offering free charging points and for helping their customers to make the switch to an electric car.”

Hugh Harvey, managing director of Comet, said: “Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly important to London and we are supporting the need for greener transportation in the capital with the introduction of our free Plug and Go points.

“As an electrical specialist we need to respond to customer demand and with electric vehicles set to revolutionise city living over the next few years, it is only right that we look to sell them as part of our offer.”

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