Electric Vehicles

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Nissan Leaf are amongst the first group of electric vehicles to go on sale in the UK that meet certain conditions set by the Government. As well as the Governments push to increase sales of Electric Vehicles the number of vehicle charge points are now increasing across the UK. London has at least 50 electric charging locations, Birmingham 10 electric charging stations and Coventry 6 electric charging stations, this number will increase as and when the Government releases more funding. Electric Car Charging Schemes will also grow in response to the growth in charging points within our UK cities. Electric Car Charging Points are either public or privately run networks which for a small subscription you get access to a network of charging points using a special electronic tag. With some subscriptions you get a range of perks such as free parking in certain areas but you still have to pay for the electric used, while in some private car parks you just pay for the parking and the charging is free. Currently the Goverment is offering a grant towards the cost of buying a new electric cars due to the high up-front cost of an electric vehicle compared to a petrol or diesel equivalent, but the Plug-In Car Grant will help to make buying an electric vehicle more affordable. Vehicles must meet certain conditions to be eligible for the Electric Car Grant of 25% or a maximum of £5,000 off the cost of the car. The current Electric Car Grant will run until 31 March 2012 at this point it will be reviewed.