Green light for electric car grants

By Peter Woodman

Thursday, 29 July 2010

A promised grant of up to £5,000 towards the cost of an electric or ultra-low carbon car has survived Government cutbacks. The Transport Secretary Philip Hammond yesterday said the funding, first announced by the Labour government, will go ahead from January 2011.

The grant will reduce the cost of new ultra-low carbon vehicles by 25 per cent, capped at £5,000. The incentive has been agreed until the end of March 2012, with the level of grant being reviewed in January 2012.

The Department for Transport said the announcement of the incentive has been made before the completion of the autumn spending review to support the early market for ultra-low carbon cars.

The grant covers electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel-cell cars.

  • Clever isn't it to push for electric cars which are totally impractical and useless but do nothing about electric buses which are a valid ten year or more ago practical proposition. Buses in case the Eco movement haven't noticed, stop at bus stops so can be readily charged at intervals so needn't suffer the problems of limited range or excessive battery weight. The drive systems are available from the trolley bus days or better still can be updated quickly into a more efficient version.
  • cardigan
    Why should the poor pay for these "feel good" toys in higher energy bills, as we enter a period of colder winters? Where does the electricity come from from to re-charge them? What about the environmental cost of battery production? I suspect Mr Yeo and his Low Carbon Vehicle partnerships may have done some lobbying here, to suck more money out of us, as the scandalous feed-in tariff scheme for putting yet more toys on roof tops will do.
  • colin2
    Only the rich can afford this expensive electric cars Another tax break for the well off
  • Midwinter1947
    What excellent foresight you have - you should work for the Met Office.

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