What's the news?
Nick Clegg has announced today (Jan 30) that the government is to team up with the UK car industry in order to promote electric vehicles by launching a new 'Go Ultra Low' initiative. The new 12-month campaign has been designed to draw motorists' attention towards the benefits of electric-only propulsion; and to "debunk common myths and misconceptions" usually associated with this type of vehicle.
"It's encouraging to see the government joining forces with the motor industry to showcase a range of attractive ultra-low emission vehicles," said Gerry Keaney, Chief Executive of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).
The campaign is backed by five manufacturers - BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Vauxhall - all of which have pure electric, electric hybrid and range-extending electric vehicles on sale today.
Also in support of the initiative, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reports that over the last three years more than 20 EVs have been launched; and that the average UK journey is less than 50 miles - a distance easily achievable by the modern electric vehicle.
"We want the 'Go Ultra Low' campaign to help the public understand how these new cars work, their benefits and capabilities, and how they could be a perfect fit for their personal, business or fleet needs," commented Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of SMMT.
In addition to raising awareness, the government has also brought money to the table. Clegg announced that a £9 million grant is to be used to develop the infrastructure to support electric vehicles. This will result in hundreds of charging locations popping up across the country; including 140 rapid charge points that will bring EV battery packs up to around 80 per cent in just 30 minutes. Clegg also made reference to the fact that many of the existing charge points are free of charge; and that a typical vehicle driving 10,000 miles a year will save around £1,000 in fuel costs alone.
As well as saving on fuel, electric motors only have one moving part - so maintenance costs should be vastly reduced as well. And let's not forget the £0 road tax bill for those driving EVs.
"The extremely low running costs of electric cars help drivers save money and we are allocating more than £9 million to boost charge points across the country to help drivers to go green," said Clegg. "This means we can lower UK emissions and create high-tech engineering and manufacturing jobs to boost our economy."
Anything else?
A dedicated website - www.GoUltraLow.com - has also been set up in support of the campaign.
Nick Clegg finishes by saying, "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."
James Giddings - 30 Jan 2014
