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The business car industry has welcomed a new deployment of £37m in Government grants aimed at establishing electric vehicles in the UK by making charge points more accessible.
The money, which is coming from the Government's previously announced £400m pot dedicated to electric vehicles, will allow consumers to claim back 75% of the cost of a chargepoint being installed in their home, while local authorities will be able to claim back the same percentage for either providing rapid-charge public points or installing on-street charging on request from residents that either own or have ordered plug-in vehicles.There is also provision for train operators to claim back three-quarters of the cost of charge points at stations.
"This investment underlines the Government's commitment to making sure that the UK is a world leader in the electric car industry," said transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, while business minister Michael Fallon said the announcement will "make the consumer environment for plug-in vehicles more attractive".
British Gas, which has been increasingly active in the chargepoint supply arena, welcomed the move. "It's a big statement from the Government. What they have come up with is a really positive step," British Gas's head of electric vehicles Andreas Atkins told BusinessCar. "The new funding coming will definitely help the public infrastructure and it will be surprising if there's not a huge uptake."
Previously, grants for charging points were only available in eight locations around the country, but the new grants will be available anywhere in the UK. "I'm really glad the new funding has gone nationwide. It was confusing before but now it increases customer confidence," said Atkins, who said he is hoping the incentives for EVs, including £5000 towards an ultra low-emission car and low benefit-in-kind company car tax, will continue beyond 2015.
Nissan, manufacturer of the Leaf electric vehicle, also welcomed the new funding. "We are at a crossroads in personal mobility," said the firm's European manufacturing boss John Martin. "Electric vehicles become a way of life if the infrastructure is in place and Governments are committed to helping drivers to make the switch."
The £37m also includes a previously announced £280,000 of funding for the Energy Saving Trust to continue its Plugged-in Fleet Initiative. The EST is now calling for companies to apply to be one of 100 given a free analysis of their fleet to see if and how plug-in vehicles could work for them in an expansion of the initial 20-company scheme which ran last year.
The EST offers guidance, detailed analysis and a strategic plan for the introduction of electric vehicles onto fleets. "We have already demonstrated that electric vehicles can provide practical and financial benefits to some of the leading organisations in the UK," said the EST's Caroline Watson. For more on the new PIFI 100 scheme, see www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/pifi
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