91Èȱ¬

A battery-powered car has broken the UK land-speed record for electric vehicles at Elvington airfield near York, its makers have said.

The Nemesis, a heavily-modified Lotus Exige which was originally bought off eBay, clocked an average speed of 151.6mph (244km/h).

The car was designed and built by a team of British motorsport engineers in Norfolk, and driven by estate agent Nick Ponting, 21, from Gloucestershire.

The old record was 137mph (220km/h).

The vehicle clocked 151.607mph during two runs along the mile-long course.

During an earlier attempt it managed an average speed of 148.419mph

Mr Ponting said: "It was brilliant. The car felt really good. The conditions were perfect.

"We've smashed the record and then gone and done a second run and done it again.

"The acceleration is phenomenal. It gets to the top speed very quickly."

The car runs on green electricity which has been generated by wind turbines, run by the Stroud-based company Ecotricity.

Dale Vince from Ecotricity said: "We built the Nemesis to smash the stereotype of electric cars as something Noddy would drive - slow, boring, not cool."

The previous record had been held by Don Wales, the grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell.

An attempt by Mr Wales's son, Joe Wales, to beat the record in Bluebird Electric last year, was thwarted after the vehicle's suspension was damaged by a pothole at Pendine Sands in Carmarthenshire.

The record still needs to be ratified by the Motor Sports Association before the record can be officially declared.