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

  • ‘Free’ power for signs, shelters and so much more
    March 17, 2016
    David Crawford looks at the sunny side of the street. Solar power has been relatively slow in entering the transport sector, but a current blossoming of activity bodes well for the large-scale harnessing of an alternative energy that is zero-emission at source and, in practical terms, infinitely renewable. Traffic management and traveller information systems, and actual vehicles, are all emerging as areas for deployment. Meanwhile roads themselves are being viewed as new-style, fossil fuel-free ‘power stati
  • Move NY Legislation introduced
    March 29, 2016
    A coalition of New York State Assembly Members has unveiled legislation that they say will not only fund Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) capital needs but will create a US$4.5 billion Transit Gap Investment Fund (TGIF) to expand public transit and improve accessibility for millions of New Yorkers, particularly those who live in so-called ‘transit deserts’. Introduced by Assembly Member Robert J. Rodriguez, chair of the subcommittee on infrastructure, and joined by 14 co-sponsors from across t
  • Electric minicabs to debut in London
    October 25, 2012
    Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD and London green minicab company greentomatocars have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create London’s first fleet of all-electric minicabs. BYD will supply greentomatocars with 50 of its pure electric e6 models for trial use in the capital. The cars are expected to be available for customers to use from the second quarter of 2013.
  • Traffex snapshot reveals enforcement advances
    July 24, 2017
    An indication of just how far beyond spot speed and red light the enforcement sector has progressed was evident in the range of new and improved equipment on display at the recent Traffex event in Birmingham. One of the key trends, particularly in the UK but also evident elsewhere, is the increase in average speed enforcement, according to RedSpeed’s managing director Robert Ryan, who predicts a big increase in installations this year. “The price point has reached a level authorities can afford,” he says, a