On this Day 1980: Anne Diamond and an ‘electric van’

OTD, April 18th, 1980…

Anne Diamond reports on the first ‘electric van’ to go into regular commercial use, designed by Lucas for the Midlands Electricity Board, who had taken delivery of five of the Bedford vehicles.

MACE Archive notes, ‘Diamond arrives for the interview in a Baker electric car built in 1902 in America, driven by its owner, Mr. Southall, a veteran car collector. Anne then tests out the new Lucas battery Bedford van on the Lucas test track at Honiley. She talks to Cyril Billingham of the MEB, about the Board’s decision to begin a fleet of electrically driven vehicles.’