Town hall boss Sir Howard Bernstein rolled into town in an electric sportscar – and looked forward to a future of zero-carbon motoring.

The Manchester council chief executive took to the streets in the Siemens' 'Greenster' with the technology firm's head of industry Juergen Maier.

The car, based on a Porsche 911 Turbo, was developed by the company and car-manufacturer Ruf.

Siemens is looking at delivering 'smart grid' system that would allow drivers of the future to turn their electric cars into energy storage devices.

Sir Howard said: “Manchester aims to lead the world in responding to the challenge of climate change, and we always welcome innovative methods of rising to that responsibility.

“It's great to see Siemens, which has a strong presence in the city, employing more than 1,000 people, developing pioneering projects like the Greenster to drive forward the green agenda.”

The Greenster will be the first electric car capable of being recharged in less than an hour using a 400 volt power outlet. It can also feed energy back into the national grid when needed.

Researchers at Siemens are also working on all aspects of 'electro-mobility', including energy management, electronics and senors.

Mr Maier, said: “Cities like Manchester need innovative and sustainable solutions to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

“The Greenster highlights what is possible and what the future holds in achieving this.”

Siemens has offices and factories across the UK, including Manchester and Wilmslow.