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BVRLA leads industry call for plug-in vehicle grant certainty
Date: 09 December 2019 | Author: Sean Keywood
A letter calling for the next UK government to pledge continued support for plug-in vehicle grants has been co-signed by more than 20 automotive, environmental, electric vehicle (EV) charging and fleet organisations.
Led by the BVRLA, the joint letter to the main political party leaders argues that if the next government is serious about meeting zero-emission road transport goals, it is vital that it provides future certainty around the status and lifespan of the grants.
The BVRLA says that despite promises from all the main political parties to increase support for EVs, none of their manifestos have explicitly pledged to continue the grants beyond 2020.
It points out that business fleets buy the majority of EVs, and says with the right government support sales will increase, but that any grant changes must be gradual and clearly signposted.
BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney said: "Waiting times for some of the most popular battery electric vehicles are already at nine or 12 months, and fleets need to know that the grant will still apply when the vehicle is delivered.
"Fleets are in a unique position to accelerate the shift to more sustainable road transport, but we need the right incentives in place and the plug-in grants are crucial."
AA president Edmund King, one of the letter's co-signatories, said: "The next government must take the lead on averting the climate crisis and giving fleets tangible and long-term incentives to switch to EVs are essential catalysts for change.
"The cleaner company or fleet car of today soon becomes the greener used car of tomorrow."
