Nottingham, Bristol, Milton Keynes, & London Win In “Go Ultra Low City Scheme”

Originally published on Sustainnovate.
By Henry Lindon

Winning cities for the Go Ultra Low City Scheme — intended to help support the adoption of electric vehicles in the UK — have been selected.

The 4 winning cities — London, Bristol, Nottingham, and Milton Keynes — will each get a slice of the £40 million in funding provided by the scheme.

The 4 winners were selected based on their city-specific plans, which were submitted before the selection process. The scheme is intended mostly as a means of reducing urban air pollution and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The plans submitted by the cities in question call for EV charging station buildouts, including fast-charging hub development, policy changes allowing EVs to use dedicated bus lanes, street lamps that double as charging points, and EV-specific parking spots, amongst other things.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin commented: “I want to see thousands more greener vehicles on our roads and I am proud to back this ambition with £40 million to help the UK become international pioneers of emission-cutting technology.”

The split of funding distribution isn’t quite equal, unsurprisingly — with London slated to receive £13 million, Milton Keynes £9 million, Bristol £7 million, and Nottingham £6 million. The London plan will also reportedly be based around the boroughs of Hackney and Westminster.

Interestingly, Bristol will be creating a 4-week leasing scheme with some of the funding, thereby allowing those interested to try out EVs without getting stuck in a long lease contract.