Government extends Plug-in Car Grant to vans
Tue 17 January 2012
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The Department for Transport has announced that van buyers will be able to receive 20% - up to £8000 - off the cost of a plug-in van. The DfT has also confirmed that the Plug-in Car Grant will be extended until 2015.
DfT says that the purpose of the consumer grant is to enable the purchase of ultra-low carbon vehicles which could otherwise have been unaffordable. The consumer will also benefit from lower running costs over the lifetime of the vehicle.
During 2011, 1052 vehicles eligible for the Plug-In Car Grant were registered in the UK and 892 applications were made for the Grant.
Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “Electric vehicles are the arrowhead for a low carbon revolution in motoring and as more models come to market we’ll begin to see sales gather pace.
Only vans which meet strict performance criteria for range, tail-pipe emissions and safety will be eligible for the Plug-In Van Grant. The application process has already opened and van manufacturers are invited to apply for their vehicles to become part of the scheme.
The Government has made provision of over £400m to promote the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicle technologies. This includes approximately £80m supporting research and development activities; £30m for the installation of infrastructure; and, £300m to support consumer incentives for the life of the Parliament.
The Government says that the number of installed chargepoints in the UK is more than 2500, of which 765 have been delivered (to 14 October 2011) through the Plugged-In Places programme. Private sector organisations have commitments to deliver approximately a further 4000 points across the UK by the end of 2012.
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