Edinburgh is an ideal city to put the Think through its paces

Dirk Dens Ford

The project - which will put Ford's Think vehicle through its paces - will also involve Edinburgh City Council.

The local authority has agreed to provide �60,000 of funding over three years. The total cost of the scheme will reach �250,000.

The Think @bout Edinburgh scheme also involves Ford and the Scottish Executive, which has agreed to channel �80,000 into the project through the Energy Saving Trust.

Ford spokesman Dirk Dens said: "Edinburgh is an ideal city to put the Think through its paces in terms of its scale, hills and complex layout."

The companies involved in the trial will lease the two-seater cars at a subsidised rate for 18 months at a time, starting this summer.

Strategic plan

The vehicles can run for more than 50 miles after being recharged using a household socket for a cost of about 40p.

Edinburgh City Council will operate one of the cars.

Andrew Burns, an executive member for transport at the authority, said the project was part of its "strategic plan" for transport in the city.

The car can be charged for about 40p

He said: "Finding ways to minimise the impact of motoring while still encouraging the smart use of cars is a key to efficient city centre movement for the city."

The cars have already been used in a trial which began in London in September last year.

Ash Gupta, from the project's marketing arm Gupta Partnerships, said Edinburgh had been chosen over Rome, Amsterdam, Venice and Brussels.

He added: "Companies will have a chance to apply and will then be vetted so we know they are really going to be used in the centre of Edinburgh.

"We also want to be sure that there's a green aspect to the companies, in other words that they care about the environment."