Skip to main content

UK drive to be world leader in electric cars

UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced that government will invest more than US$15 million to boost the number of charging points for electric cars. Major car manufacturers BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Vauxhall are all backing the Go Ultra Low campaign in a ground breaking partnership with government to debunk common myths and misconceptions that put drivers off switching to electric or hybrid cars, such as cost and how far the vehicles can travel before being recharged. Electric car o
January 31, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced that government will invest more than US$15 million to boost the number of charging points for electric cars.

Major car manufacturers 1731 BMW, 838 Nissan, 2453 Renault, 1686 Toyota and 4231 Vauxhall are all backing the Go Ultra Low campaign in a ground breaking partnership with government to debunk common myths and misconceptions that put drivers off switching to electric or hybrid cars, such as cost and how far the vehicles can travel before being recharged.

Electric car owners do not have to pay car tax or congestion charges and many charge points are free to use. The cars cost from just 2 pence (US$3) a mile, which means a family that drives an electric vehicle 10,000 miles in a year would save around US$1,600 on fuel costs each year.

There are already more charging points than filling stations in London, but to make driving an electric car possible for everyone, the US$15 million funding will be used to create hundreds more charging points across the country, including 140 new rapid charge points which can charge an electric car in less than half an hour. This will cement the UK’s position as one of the best for electric vehicle recharging networks in Europe.

Announcing the funding, Clegg said: “Electric cars are one of the most promising of our green industries and we want to secure the UK’s position as a global leader in both the production and adoption of these vehicles. The extremely low running costs of electric cars help drivers save money and we are allocating more than US$15 million to boost charge points across the country to help drivers to go green. This means we can lower UK emissions and create high-tech engineering and manufacturing jobs to boost our economy.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ‘Risky tailgating and speeding rife on UK motorways’
    May 22, 2014
    Six in ten UK drivers own up to risky tailgating (57 per cent) and a similar proportion break the limit by 10mph or more (60 per cent) on motorways and 70mph dual carriageways, with men by far the worst offenders, a survey by Brake and insurance company Direct Line reveals. Almost all drivers say they worry about other drivers tailgating on motorways: 95 per cent are at least occasionally concerned about vehicles too close behind them; more than four in ten (44 per cent) are concerned every, or most, tim
  • ITS solutions to keep truck traffic moving
    June 8, 2015
    David Crawford reviews freight management initiatives. Managing truck traffic to minimise its environmental impacts, without adversely impacting on its critical economic role, continues to drive ITS-based solutions in both urban and interurban contexts.
  • TRAFIC 2017: Automobile and scooter brands to exhibit electric mobility models
    October 9, 2017
    A total of 8 automobile and scooter brands will be presenting 14 models at TRAFIC 2017, the International Safe and Sustainable Mobility Exhibition, at the new electric and efficient mobility area, from 24 to 27 October. The 15th edition, organised by IFEMA, will feature Audi (F. Tomé), BMW (Cuzco Motor), Hyundai, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen (F. Tomé) and NIU (Motos Bordoy) will present their models to professionals and demonstrate the industry's dedication to electric mobility.
  • Consultation to examine how UK electricity network can prepare for increase in EVs
    October 13, 2016
    The UK’s Smart EV project is launching its Consultation on Managed EV Charging at the Low Carbon Networks Innovation Conference in Manchester. The Consultation invites stakeholder views to ultimately secure a standardised industry-wide agreement for the connection, charging and control of electric vehicles. The project’s ultimate aim is to achieve agreement across a number of industries on the best way to help facilitate the roll out of controlled EV charging. In doing so, it will enable significantly