Plug-in grant for cars to end as focus moves to improving electric vehicle charging
Today (14th June 2022) has seen the announcement that the government is closing the plug-in car grant scheme to new orders. The scheme has successfully kickstarted the UK’s electric car revolution and supported the sale of nearly half a million electric cars.
Although the scheme has positively created a mature market for ultra-low emission vehicles, helping to increase the sales of fully electric cars from less than 1,000 in 2011 to almost 100,000 in the first 5 months of 2022 alone, we at EVIOS feel that the grant has been ended too early for the ambitious government targets for all cars sold to be electric by 2030.
Many potential EV drivers were able to make the switch due to the government incentive, and with this being removed, there is a risk of the electric transition slowing dramatically.
The government claims that their goal is now to concentrate funding on expanding the public chargepoint network helping to eradicate “range anxiety” and ensure the transition to zero-emission transport is easy and convenient for all drivers across the UK. The grant will still support electric taxis, vans, trucks, motorcycles and wheelchair accessible vehicles instead.
Trudy Harrison, Transport Minister, said “The Government continues to invest record amounts in the transition to EVs, with £2.5billion injected since 2020, and has set the most ambitious phase-out dates for new diesel and petrol sales of any major country.
'But government funding must always be invested where it has the highest impact if that success story is to continue. 'Having successfully kickstarted the electric car market, we now want to use plug-in grants to match that success across other vehicle types, from taxis to delivery vans and everything in between, to help make the switch to zero emission travel cheaper and easier.”
This news comes the day before new-build residential homes and commercial buildings will be required by law to install electric vehicle charging points. The new building regulations support the government’s plan to cut carbon emissions and encourage more drivers to switch to fully electric, or plug-in hybrid cars, through an improved car charging infrastructure.
As mentioned, the benefits of owning an electric/hybrid vehicle still vastly outweigh the costs of running a petrol/diesel model. Here at EVIOS, we appreciate the initial cost of purchasing an EV can be somewhat eye-watering, which is why our interest free monthly payment option is one to consider when it comes to choosing your home charge point. We've combined leading technology with really easy-to-use features to create a market leading product which allows you to charge your EV as sustainably and economically as possible!