A Bermuda businessman has landed the distributorship for a leading US-based electric vehicle manufacturing company.

And the news means two different types of electric vehicle could be on the Island's roads at the beginning of next year if the Transport Control Department (TCD) grants them final approval, said Tom McFarlane.

Mr. McFarlane's electric vehicle business will operate under the name Electric Avenues, which will, in turn, be a subsidiary of his company Tom B. Stone Ltd.

He also operates Sticks and Stones, Island Memorials and Sandblast Services.

He said he got into the electric vehicle business almost by accident. "I actually stumbled upon an electric vehicle show when I was in Las Vegas a couple of years ago.

"I looked all over and thought the same thing that a lot of people seem to also think -- `why don't we have these things in Bermuda?' I've been looking at them since then.

"I was looking at another company originally but the car they produced was like a glorified golf car -- it looked too much like a toy -- but I thought I might be able to introduce it for tourists.'' Mr. McFarlane said he thought the vehicles would be safer for tourists them mopeds but would add to congestion problems and after some research decided that the cars probably would not "pan out too far''.

Instead he turned to regular electric vehicles and has since been working closely with Government and Belco. This consultation helped him line up the Solectria account.

The two vehicles that will be available from Electric Avenues will be the four-door Solectria Force sedan and the Solectria Flash, a small pick-up-style truck.

The Force will retail for about $33,000 and the Flash will retail for about $22,000. There are extra options available for each which will push the cost up.

Mr. McFarlane said he was able to sell the vehicles at these prices because, despite their expensive production costs in relation to gas vehicles, there was no import duty charged on electric vehicles in Bermuda.

The vehicles can be plugged into regular 110 volt outlets for recharging and have a range of about 50 miles when fully charged. The Solectria vehicles also feature a unique regenerative braking system which actually helps recharge the battery when the brakes are applied.

They cost about two cents per kilometre to operate in comparison to gas vehicles which cost in the range of seven cents per kilometre.

The vehicles are expected to require minimum servicing and maintenance. Mr.

McFarlane said he had lined up mechanics at Paul Pacheco's Auto Express to go abroad for training in repairing the vehicles.

Solectria also produces a walk-in delivery van with some 600 cubic feet of cargo volume called the CitiVan and components which can be used to convert gas vehicles to electric but Electric Avenue will not carry these items initially.

Electric cars And it will not be able to carry the Force and Flash until TCD has run them through a battery of tests over a six week period. The first Force will arrive before Christmas and the first Flash is expected at the beginning of February.

During this period a consultative group set up between Belco and Government will also get a chance to examine the vehicles closer.

The TCD tests will determine how the cars perform on Bermuda's roads and cope with its traffic and hill patterns and determine their efficiency.

"I am confident that they will perform very well,'' said Mr. McFarlane.

Forces have already been tested in conditions ranging from snow and ice to hot, arid desert conditions.

The first Force is lined up for sale immediately after completing its testing and Mr. McFarlane intends to use the Flash as a demo model and for his businesses.

Noting the number of cars sold in Bermuda, Mr. McFarlane said achieving five percent of annual sales would be realistic for the new business.

May the force be with you: Solectria's electric-powered four-door sedan Force which will be available in Bermuda at the beginning of next year.