just £12million of the £300m set aside by the government for electric vehicle grants has been utilized since the plan came
into impact in January 2011.
A overall of 2,311 declares have been produced electric vehicles – according to latest department for transfer (DfT) stats – as well as 140 declares for vans.
This works out at £11.5m in grants for vehicles – for which purchasers get a 25 per cent discount rate as much as £5,000 – as well as £1.27m for vans, which draw in a saving of £8,000.
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But even though £287m of money is lying unused, transfer priest Norman Baker stays optimistic about the grant. “A quarter of all vehicles benefiting from the plug in vehicle grant were ordered in the last three months, as well as new designs are being added to the listing of eligible vehicles,” he said.
He likewise declared he’s “relaxed” about the present uptake, adding that it was in line with what was expected for new technology.
A Nissan spokesperson declared the grant plan is generous enough, however had concerns about its future. “People requirement to understand exactly how long it’ll be offered for. We understood it would be a sluggish burner, so taking it away as people get utilized to it will strangle it,” he warned.
When the reward launched, the government stated it would be offered up until 2015. There’s been no word on this being extended.
The preliminary £300m was sufficient to fund 15,000 electric vehicle sales a year – a far cry from the 2,400 really registered since January 2011 (although not all have utilized the grant).
Nissan’s concerns were echoed by the society of motor manufacturers as well as Traders, with a spokesperson arguing the grant should “deliver stability as well as certainty to motorists by committing to incentivise plug-in vehicles
well beyond 2015”.
The DfT
confirmed the discount rate would run up until the end of the present Parliament, however refused to
say whether it would
continue after this.