mixed reaction.

The bikes, which have been enjoying strong sales in the US, travel at up to 14 miles per hour and need to be charged every 14 miles.

One company which has been experiencing particular success in the electric vehicle market is the Californian firm, ZAP!.

The ZAP! Electricruizer resembles an old-fashioned Schwinn bike and has the unique feature of being able to be used with or without electricity.

You simply start pedalling, press the lever on the front of the bike and the electric charge from the battery pack mounted under the seat will power the bike up to 14 miles per hour.

Since ZAP! began selling the various electric models five years ago, the company has made over 2.5 million electric bicycles, scooters, motorcycles and tricycles.

Among their customers have been the Police force in the town of Sebastopol, California, which uses the more powerful ZAP! patrol bikes. These travel up to 20 miles per hour but need to be recharged every seven miles.

But a Bermuda Police spokesman ruled out any possibility of local officers using the bikes.

"From a policing point of view the bikes would not be fast enough,'' said spokesman P.c. Alan Oliver. "We would lose a substantial amount of time on the road if we had to recharge the bikes every four hours and we would not be able to respond in a timely fashion.'' He also did not see how electric motorbikes would make an impact on the number of road accidents if introduced to the Island and made available for hire.

"Only a small percentage of accidents involving tourists are caused by speed,'' P.c. Oliver said. "It's mainly due to the inexperience of tourists riding bicycles and, for those from the US, driving on the wrong side of the road. An electric bike won't solve those problems.'' However, Transport Minister Ewart Brown did not automatically rule out the possibility.

"We're looking at the whole issue of electric vehicles,'' he said. "We'll look at anything which might improve the road traffic situation and the environment.'' One scooter rental company on the Island is already investigating the possibility of renting electric cycles to visitors.

Wheels Limited in Hamilton has already placed an order for a Peugeot electric scooter which is able to travel further without charging than the popular American ZAP! bikes.

The scooter may be added to Wheels' rental fleet if the trial proves to be a success.