The E8000ECC parked in Mount Street, Mayfair, London

Enfield Automotive was an

electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quiet ...

manufacturer founded in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in the 1960s. Under the ownership of Greek millionaire Giannis Goulandris, production was moved to the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

isle of

Syros Syros ( el, Σύρος ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and it has 21,507 inhabitants (2011 census). The largest towns are Ermoupoli, A ...

during the

oil crisis of 1973 The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had sup ...

, although the vehicles were, according to one report, sent back to be assembled on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

. (actually the cars were completely built on Syros and sent to Britain for installation of the batteries).

Models

Enfield 465

Evening outing to the London Hilton with an earlier version of the E8000ECC

The Enfield 465 was a small

2+2 Two Two (투투) was a Korean pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an ...

-seater electric car built only in prototype form in 1969. It was equipped with a 48 V, electric motor and had an ICI royal plastic body with no metal chassis. It is believed that only three were Built but only two remain as one failed the crash testing. The rear axle came from a Bond Bug with the Motor parrell to it.

Enfield 8000

The Chairman of the Electricity Council and other EC Board members on the date of signing the contract for the E8000ECC

The Enfield 8000 (also known the E8000 ECC or "Electric City Car") was similar to the 465, but with an motor and aluminium body. 120 Enfield 8000s were built on Syros in the mid-1970s, of which 65 were used by the

Electricity Council The Electricity Council was a governmental body set up in 1958 to oversee the electricity supply industry in England and Wales. The council was established on 1 January 1958 to assume the coordinating and policy-making functions of the Central E ...

and southern English

electricity board Public electricity suppliers (PES) were the fourteen electricity companies created in Great Britain when the electricity market in the United Kingdom was privatised following the Electricity Act 1989. The Utilities Act 2000 subsequently split the ...

s. The E8000ECC had passed all the necessary tests for production in the United Kingdom and was on its way to be produced in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

. Then Governor of California Ronald Reagan sent a cargo plane to have three E8000ECCs moved to California in support of his Clean Air legislation. However, the E8000ECC was never produced in the United States. The unique aerodynamics of the E8000ECC were not based on traditional industry principles and ideas. They were based on designs made by Konstantine Adraktas, the Chairman and Managing Technical Director of Enfield. The car was eventually produced in Greece after the company was incorporated into

Neorion Neorion is one of the oldest Greek heavy industries, located in Ermoupolis, on the Greek island of Syros. Today, it is one of the few remaining major industrial corporations in what used to be the industrial and commercial center of Greece, bef ...

(also owned by Mr. Goulandris) and renamed Enfield-Neorion.

Key Characteristics

*It had an aluminum body to guard against corrosion. *It was available in a "Bicini" version which had a body composed of simple flat panels and was never

crash test A crash test is a form of destructive testing usually performed in order to ensure safe design standards in crashworthiness and crash compatibility for various modes of transportation (see automobile safety) or related systems and comp ...

ed. *A leather interior was available. *Early models no gear lever, reverse was entered with the use of switch. *It was based on widely available components and parts for easy maintenance and worldwide replacement part availability. *It had an on-board charger (which recharged batteries fully while freewheeling downhill in the Alps.)

References

{{reflist Electric city cars Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England 1960s cars 1970s cars Electric vehicle manufacturers of the United Kingdom Companies based on the Isle of Wight