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.