THE first electric BMW i3’s have been handed over to happy new owners.

Among the first drivers to pick up one of the newly-launched electric cars from North Oxford BMW Garage, at the Wolvercote Roundabout, on Saturday was John Ganderton.

The 36-year-old garage owner from Buckingham said he and wife Kelly, 35, ordered the car in October before it was officially launched.

He said: “It has been a long wait and there were some nerves at times as to whether we had done the right thing. There is a term for the nerves about how far you can drive before running out of power – called range anxiety.

“But it looks like it is going to work out. It’s a bit of a learning curve because you only have to use one pedal – although the brake is there if you need it.

“But it’s a lot of fun to drive and gives me a lot of pleasure doing it. It’s so quiet, smooth and quick.”

The BMW i3 has two pedals, but the motor provides inertia braking unless you have to stop suddenly.

It has a top speed of 93mph and a range of 80 to 100 miles per charge. It can be fully charged in eight hours from a normal domestic socket.