Against the backdrop of the startling Photovoltaic Pyramid in Madrid’s Juan Carlos I Park, SEAT and Volkswagen Group’s vice president for Governmental and Institutional Relations, Ramon Paredes, delivered two Altea XL Electric Ecomotive (e-Altea XL) cars to Madrid mayoress Ana Botella.

Madrid City Hall will add the two electric cars to its fleet for the next five months, during which time SEAT will gather information and make assessments prior to full production.

SEAT’s development of environmentally friendly cars is focussing on two types of technology: plug-in hybrid and all-electric, the former with the Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive, and the latter with the e-Altea XL, which is the first all-electric vehicle to come out of Spain.

Ramon Paredes said: ‘At SEAT we feel very proud to be collaborating once more with the city of Madrid in projects whose overarching aim is to improve citizens’ quality of life while increasing the competitiveness of the Spanish economy. Thanks to its Technical Centre for R&D, SEAT is the only brand with the capacity to design, develop and manufacture an electric vehicle in Spain.’

Madrid mayoress Ana Botella thanked SEAT and explained her satisfaction that the city ‘serves as a testing ground for a company so important for Madrid and for Spain.’

‘Since its founding, SEAT has been key to the modernisation of transport in our country and I hope that, now, electric vehicles will also occupy an important place on the roads,’ she added.

SEAT’s e-mobility strategy has seen it loan electric vehicles to numerous companies and institutions over the last few weeks, including Spanish utilities company Endesa, the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN), the Institute for Energy Saving and Diversification (IDEA), and Barcelona City Hall, among others.

SEAT is currently in the first phase of its e-mobility strategy, and plans over the forthcoming months to loan further electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to Government bodies, private companies and institutions interested in eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable fleets.

The e-Altea XL is SEAT’s first all-electric vehicle, powered by a 115PS electric motor with 270 Nm (199 lb ft), allowing it a 135 kph (84 mph) top speed, and a 135 km (84-mile) range. Its 100 kW battery is located beneath the rear seats and boot, meaning no loss of passenger space, and a photovoltaic panel on the roof cuts fuel consumption by helping to power the air conditioning. An innovative smartphone app allows the climate control and recharging functions of the e-Altea XL to be controlled remotely.