A consultation on whether or not small electric personal vehicles should be allowed to be used in certain areas has been launched.
The government is seeking views on whether the vehicles can be used on cycle lanes and public roads.
However, the authorities emphasised that this will not impact on pedestrian footways and footpaths for the time being.
"We want to hear from groups and individuals with opinions and evidence on whether the law should be changed to permit such vehicles on public roads and cycle tracks," said transport secretary Lord Andrew Adonis.
He stressed that with new low-carbon technologies emerging, it was important that a consultation was established to address the issues people may be concerned about.
The debate over electric vehicles is ongoing, with arguments from both sides coming to the fore.
Hugh Bladon, spokesperson for the Association of British Drivers, believes there are few benefits to the cars, namely because they are not as eco-friendly as they suggest.
"The electricity has to come from somewhere, so you have to have power stations to generate it. I don't really see there are an awful lot of advantages," he commented.
He indicated that a "massive amount of environmental damage" would arise from creating the cars, which may well be created from creating the batteries.
"Imports would have to happen between here and the Far East to make these things up in the first place," he claimed.
Nonetheless, Mr Bladon's sceptical view of electric vehicles is not shared by everyone.
Matt Thompson, group marketing director of Trader Media Group, believes they will become favourable among commuters who are keen to cut their costs and their emissions at the same time.
"Light, small electric cars with zero emissions at the exhaust pipe are an increasingly savvy choice for city commuters, who benefit from reduced or free tax and exemption from congestion charges," he suggested.
An improved infrastructure is needed to make the widespread uptake of electric cars a reality, Mr Thompson said, as plans are still very much in their infancy.
Trials are currently underway in the West Midlands to see how low-carbon vehicles function in a practical environment.
The experiment is scheduled to last 12 months and will see 110 vehicles experimented with across the roads of Coventry and Birmingham.
Identifying the problems which may lie ahead, Richard Bremner, editor of Clean Green Cars, said: "The next critical issue is the fiscal incentives that the next government introduces to encourage the take-up of electric vehicles."
The government, however, is still trying to gauge public opinion on electric vehicles, which is apparent from the launch of its consultation.
If people are accepting of the vehicles being able to use public roads and cycle tracks, this may well mean they are more willing to accept them into their everyday lives.
At the moment, any electric personal vehicle which is not covered by road traffic law may only be driven on private land or in an area where they have the landowner's permission.
This may change if the public is receptive to the government's plans, although it will also require a shift in attitudes when it comes to different road users sharing the same spaces.
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