Skip to main content

Funding boost for ultra low emission vehicles

A major $US43 million (£35 million) package to boost the uptake of ultra-low emission cars and scooters has been unveiled by the UK government. The fresh funding commitment will see thousands more electric vehicle charge-points installed on streets and at workplaces across the UK, after the number of new ultra low emission vehicles registered rose by 250 per cent in just two years. The government is also buying two brand new Nissan LEAF electric cars for the Government Car Service, to add to the four
October 14, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A major $US43 million (£35 million) package to boost the uptake of ultra-low emission cars and scooters has been unveiled by the UK government.

The fresh funding commitment will see thousands more electric vehicle charge-points installed on streets and at workplaces across the UK, after the number of new ultra low emission vehicles registered rose by 250 per cent in just two years.

The government is also buying two brand new Nissan LEAF electric cars for the Government Car Service, to add to the four that are already in use.

The announcement is part of the government’s plans to improve air quality, and it comes as Defra launch a new consultation on introducing clean air zones in Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton by 2020.

The funding includes the next steps of a US$24 million (£20 million) competition that will help councils roll out charge-points for ultra-low emission taxis and up to US$12 million (£10 million) funding for charge-points outside workplaces and homes where there is no off-street parking. It also includes the launch of an initial US$4.5 million (£3.75 million) scheme to encourage uptake of zero emission motorcycles and scooters and US$2.4 million (£2 million) awarded to public and private sector organisations to deploy hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

The funding is being delivered as part of the government’s commitment to invest US$610 million (£600 million) in ultra-low emission vehicles by 2020.

In addition, an initial US$4.5 (£3.75 million) is being made available for motorcycle and scooter riders who want to want to go green, providing them with up to 20 per cent off the cost of an electric motorcycle or scooter. Buyers will be able to claim a maximum discount of US$1,800 (£1,500).

Related Content

  • Full electric vehicle shipments to exceed 2 million by 2020
    October 11, 2013
    According to ABI Research, the number of full electric vehicles (EV) shipping yearly will increase from 150,000 in 2013 to 2.36 million in 2020, representing a CAGR of 48 per cent. Asia-Pacific will exhibit the strongest growth, driven by mounting pollution issues in its many megacities; however, true mass-market uptake will only start happening in the next decade.
  • Zero emission delivery vehicle project begins in Houston
    September 2, 2013
    The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) has teamed up with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and Smith Electric Vehicles Corporation to reduce vehicle emissions from delivery trucks in the region. As part of a US Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored effort, local fleets will replace existing diesel delivery vehicles with thirty all-electric medium and heavy-duty Smith Newton trucks for daily operations in the Houston-Galveston area.
  • London needs just one road user charge, says report
    July 8, 2019
    London’s patchwork of road charging schemes should be replaced by a single, distance-based user charge, according to new research. Apart from anything else, it would be much fairer… The UK capital’s multiple road charging schemes require a radical overhaul, according to a new report by the Centre for London thinktank. The suggested solution is to replace existing levies on drivers with a single, distance-based user charge which would more fairly reflect how much, and at what time, people are using London
  • Honda extends development of alternative energy programmes
    April 13, 2012
    Honda has unveiled further initiatives in the testing and evaluation of its alternative energy development programmes for vehicles, with the opening of a solar hydrogen station on the grounds of its Saitama Prefectural Office in Japan and the development of the FCX Clarity to serve as a mobile electric generator.