UK Committing £4 Million More To Plug-In Electric Van/Truck Grant Program
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The UK government will be committing £4 million more in funding to its plug-in electric van and truck grant program, going by recent comments made by Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark during a trip to meet with automotive execs in Japan.
The move means that all plug-in electric van and truck purchases* for business use that meet the relevant requirements will be eligible for up to £20,000 in grants.
The program has actually been active since back in 2012, but it has seemingly not had a strong effect on sales numbers. The purpose of the program is to help reduce emissions from truck and van sources, most of which are diesel powered, thereby reducing air pollution and improving air quality in towns and cities.
The press release provides more: “The extension of the Plug-In Van grant will mean N2 vans (3.5 – 12 tonnes gross weight) and N3 vans (over 12 tonnes gross weight) are now eligible. … The scheme will be reviewed once 5,000 grants have been processed, or in March 2018, whichever is earlier. The grant amount is automatically deducted from the price of the vehicle by the dealer when it is purchased, and the dealership also completes all the necessary paperwork.”
Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark commented when making the announcement: “The electric car revolution is well underway with consumers and this funding will encourage more businesses to consider switching to cleaner vans and trucks. Our automotive sector is thriving with the world’s most popular electric car already made in the UK and we are forging ahead to deploy new engine technology to make low-carbon vehicles mainstream, and leading the way in driverless car technology.”
To explain the Business and Energy Secretary’s visit to Japan, where the comments were made, Japan is currently the second largest investor in the UK. As a result, Secretary Clark considers the relationship between the two countries to be quite important. During his trip, Clark met with executives from Nissan, Honda, and Toyota.
*Models above 3.5 tonnes in weight.
Image via BYD
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