Driver of 100mph ‘rogue’ electric car charged with driving offence

The driver of an £80,000 electric car which had to be rammed off the road by motorway police after it “went rogue” at 100mph has been charged with a motoring offence and fraud.

Nathan Owen, 32, said his vehicle’s brake’s failed and he lost control of his Jaguar I-Pace as it tore down the motorway between Liverpool and Manchester with him trapped inside unable to control the car due to an “electrical fault”.

Owen reportedly said he was on his way home from work on the first day of his job as a children’s support worker and feared he would die or kill someone else during the journey.

After he called 999, road policing units scrambled to intercept the runaway vehicle as it reached speeds of up to 100mph on the M58/M57 and M62 motorways on the afternoon of March 6 last year.

An urgent police operation was launched and the Jaguar was surrounded by police cars from Merseyside Police and Greater Manchester Police for 35 minutes before the vehicle was finally boxed in and brought to a safe stop.

Police say after an extensive investigation Owen has now been charged with dangerous driving, causing a public nuisance and two counts of fraud by false representation.

In a statement, Merseyside Police said: “We have charged a man following an incident involving a black Jaguar I-Pace car on the M62 in March 2024.

“On the afternoon of Wednesday March 6, officers from the force’s roads policing unit were called to help stop a vehicle safely on the eastbound carriageway after the driver called 999 reporting his vehicle was out of control and he could not brake while travelling on the M58/M57 and M62 motorways.

“Following an extensive investigation, we have charged Nathan Owen, 32, of The Grove, Prestatyn, North Wales, with dangerous driving, causing a public nuisance and two counts of fraud by false representation.”

Owen will appear in court on August 13.