Daimler AG has boosted its position in the electric car market by acquiring an equity stake of almost ten per cent in Tesla Motors.

The move will help the two companies work together more closely in the development of battery systems for cars, with Tesla currently being the only production car maker to be selling electric vehicles in Europe.

Daimler has already been trying to integrate Tesla’s lithium-ion battery packs on some of the vehicles in its smart car range, which have been undergoing trials in London since 2007 through fleet operators and private customers.

Dr Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said: "Our strategic partnership is an important step to accelerate the commercialisation of electric drives globally.

"This marks another important milestone in Daimler’s strategy for sustainable mobility."

The Metropolitan Police has also remarked that the electric vehicles from the smart range could be an ideal choice to be used in central London.

This is because they can run for 70 miles on one charge, while also being able to reach a top speed of 55 miles per hour.

Discover all the big benefits of the smart at thesmart.co.uk

Vehicles from the smart range such as the smart fortwo could be the ideal choice for police officers to use on their daily excursions around London, it has been stated.

After Scotland Yard recently revealed that the police could trade in half of their current cars over the next four years in exchange for vehicles powered by alternative fuels, it has been suggested that smart cars could be the way forward.

The Metropolitan Police is already testing smart cars at Heathrow and in central London and Nigel Jakubowski, director of transport services for the Met, believes the vehicles are "perfect".

He said: "London is perfect for alternative fuels such as electric or hybrid vehicles. The smart car can travel up to 70 miles on one charge and be powered using a three-pin plug.

"For central London the top speed of 55mph isn’t a problem. The uniformed officers who have driven them say they are very quick. We have installed charging points at the stations the cars are based in, and they work very well."

Meanwhile, it was also recently announced that some of the vehicles from the smart range will be available to customers taking part on the government scrapping scheme.

Among these is the low-CO2 generating smart fortwo cdi cabrio, which gives off just 88g/km of carbon dioxide.

Read more about the scrappage scheme on the smart website