News that Boris Johnson now wants to keep the western extension of the congestion charging zone is a welcome boost to the electric vehicle market, says NICE (no internal combustion engine).

Paying the congestion charge every day amounts to a total cost of around £2000 per year. Easliy overcome by driving electric.

• Running costs from a couple of pence per mile. That's around a fifteenth of those for a petrol or diesel car.

• No annual road tax. All NICE electric vehicles are zero-emissions and therefore exempt.

• Congestion charge exempt. Electric cars and vans do not pay the £8 daily charge to enter the zone, saving around £2,000 a year for those regularly driving into the centre of London.

• Free parking. Forward-thinking London boroughs like Westminster provide free parking for drivers of all-electric cars. The saving runs into thousands of pounds a year. Other boroughs also provide parking incentives like free on-street parking for residents.

• Free re-charging points. More re-charging points will help. However, Westminster is leading the way with 60 ‘juice points' on streets around the borough.

NICE's most popular car, The Mega City, starts at £11,499 on the road. It has a 40 mile range from one charge - more than adequate for the majority of city journeys - and comes with standard equipment including CD-radio, electric windows, parking sensors and remote central locking.