A TRIO of low-carbon cars have been given to the Spanish government as part of a six month trial to assess performance of the state-of-the-art technology.

SEAT handed over a specially adapted Altea XL – which runs entirely on electricity – and two Leon plug-in hybrids to Barcelona City Hall.

The Spanish brand seeks to gather information and assess performance before venturing into the mass production of electric vehicles.

The Altea XL, which can reach speeds of 83.8 miles per hour, is SEAT’s first entirely electric car and is fitted with solar panels on the roof to power the air conditioning as well as having the battery positioned under the rear seats and boot.

“SEAT’s future is electric and we are opting for diversification of alternative technologies so as to cater to different motoring needs,” said Dr Matthias Rabe, executive vice-president for R&D at SEAT.

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