THE first ever London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally had its inaugural event on Saturday.

A total of 71 vehicles in nine different categories crossed the finish line next to the Palace Pier, having driven 59 miles from Parliament Square to Brighton.

The Deputy mayor, councillor Mary Mears, welcomed participants as they crossed the line while BBC Sussex Breakfast show presenter, Allison Ferns, provided live commentary as they finished the rally.

More than 3,000 people visited the event on Madeira Drive, where vehicles were displayed following the finish.

Other attractions included electric go-kart track and a solar car built by Ardingly College and Ifield Community College that completed the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia in 2015 and 2019.

The inaugural event was the brainchild of co-founders Tom Druitt and Bill Murray.

It was together by Mr Druitt's Big Lemon bus company to celebrate the rapid development of electric vehicles and renewable energy technology.

It also marked the transition of Big Lemon's fleet to electric.

The event featured A-list participants, including actor Mark Williams, who crossed the finish line in a brand-new Polestar electric vehicle supplied by Endeavour Motors.

While engineer Cedric Lynch crossed the line in a self-built motorcycle created in the 1970s, which once featured on Tomorrow’s World on the BBC.

The event finished with an Awards Ceremony at The Grand attended by with awards for the lowest energy consumption in each class.

The winners were:

1. Ebike: Dominic Eldred-Earl

2. Motorbike: Michael Kendra

3. City Car: Darren Pullman

4. Saloon Car: Dave Dewson

5. SUV: Ross Henderson

6. Van: Ramon Rottier

7 Minibus: Peter Flynn

8. Bus: Charlotte Hautot

9. Self-build: Cedric Lynch