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Car makers are calling on the UK government to review the current rules incentivising the purchase of electric cars, claiming that they are too strict and that current levels of consumer demand have been disappointing. Car makers are under pressure to sell more low emissions vehicles, and some company owners suggest the government’s rules are a factor in recent decisions like Ford cutting 800 UK jobs and Vauxhall’s owner closing a van-making plant in Luton. But what can be done to encourage more people to make the shift to electric cars?
One solution proposed by campaigners, such as automotive journalist Quentin Willson of campaign group FairCharge, is the provision of interest-free loans on used electric vehicles for low-income drivers and halving the VAT on new cars, which Willson argues could be funded by rejecting the current freeze on fuel duty. The government already offers some subsidies to make electric vehicles cheaper, such as low rateof company car tax, salary sacrificed leasing schemes that use untaxed income resulting in significant savings, but an equivalent for people who cannot get a car through their company has not been provided since the abolition of the plug-in grant for cars in 2022.
Another solution, according to Roger Atkins, founder of Electric Vehicles Outlook consultancy, is making cheaper electric cars available on the market. He triggered the need for genuinely cheap EVs when he insisted that expensive cars priced at £50,000 – £60,000 are not realistic options for everyone. The Dacia Spring, which was launched a few weeks ago, is the primary example of an EV model that is affordable while Chinese giant BYD plans to bring a version of its Seagull model to the UK next year.
Recent changes to policies incentivising people to buy electric vehicles have led to confusion and delayed purchases, according to some criticisms. The target date for banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars was first set to 2040, then brought forward to 2030 under Boris Johnson, before being delayed again to 2035 under Rishi Sunak. But many people are still confused about dates, concerned about costs and have questions about charging, according to Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of electric charging guide Zapmap. As many drivers are unsure, a consistent communication programme is needed, supported by the government.
Finally, while the popularity of low-emission electric vehicles is on the rise, complaints about the lack of public charging stations continue to pile up. With the number of charging points growing, there were 71,459 charging points across the UK at 36,060 locations of October 2021, according to ZapMap, which represented a 38% increase from the previous year. Nonetheless, finding charging points and queuing for an extended period or arriving to find them broken is still problematic in some areas. The current rate of expansion led to the government proposing 300,000 more charging points by 2030; however, Instavolt charging firm’s Simon Smith blamed the slow process on local authorities and the difficulties related to rapid charging hub planning permission and grid connections
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