Electric car sales have more than halved this year. Just 156 were sold from January to October 2008, compared to 374 for the same period in 2007, down 58%.
The figures come as one of London's two electric car distributors, Nice Car Company, was put into administration.
Set up in 2006 by ex-Lotus colleagues Julian Wilford and Evert Geurtsen, Nice had been selling an all-electric version of the French-made Aixam Mega. It had also planned to expand its range by the end of the year, selling a Chinese-made two-seater called MyCar and five-seat MPV called the Ze-O.
However, administrators were called in last week following a torrid year in which sales fell to fewer than one car a week.
Going Green, which distributes the best selling G-Wiz, is also suffering significantly reduced sales. Volumes are well down on 2007 despite a revised model with improved performance and better range.
In total, there are around 1,100 all-electric cars on UK roads. The majority are owned by Londoners, many of whom turned electric to benefit from congestion charge exemptions and parking concession.
However, the market wobbled following Ken Livingstone's plans to exempt standard petrol and diesel cars with sub-120g/km CO2 emissions. While the proposal was scrapped by Boris Johnson, many had already turned away.
In June this year, the City of London dealt a further blow to sales, reversing its decision to exempt electric cars from parking charges. The concession was worth up to £4,000 a year for those regularly parking in the City.
Cars like the G-Wiz and Mega City have also faced criticism on safety. Both are quadricycles which means they have not passed rigorous crash tests of fully type-approved cars like a Fiesta or Corsa. That's led many, including BBC Top Gear, to question the protection offered in a crash.
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