Plug-In car grant introduced for motorists

Date: 4/1/2011

More Britons may be set to consider the benefits of having an electric vehicle, following the introduction on January 1st of the Plug-In Car Grant.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), motorists can now make use of a grant of up to £5,000 when they buy any vehicle that qualifies as a low carbon car with CO2 emissions less than 75g/km.

The list of motors eligible under the scheme was announced at the close of last year, with the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Smart fortwo electric drive and the Peugeot iOn all available to buy now.

Six more models, including the Nissan Leaf, Citroen CZero and Vauxhall Ampera, will all come to the market later in 2011.

Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive, said: "The transition to ultra-low carbon vehicles is a great opportunity for the UK motor industry. The Plug-In Car Grant will support the delivery of practical, low carbon vehicles and we will see further progress of new and conventional technologies in the years ahead."

In addition, the Plugged-In Places scheme will be providing funding towards charging networks in London, Milton Keynes, north-east England, the Midlands, Greater Manchester, the east of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland over the coming years.

At the end of last year, Head of the National Grid Steve Holliday forecast one in five cars sold in 2016 would be electric.

Posted by Nick Anderson