Government announces more incentives for ‘plugged-in’ driving

The Government has today announced more incentives to jump-start the take-up of electric vehicles, including £5 million of funding to introduce 2,430 charging points for electric vehicles in Milton Keynes and car grants.
The Milton Keynes investment is part of a £30 million fund from the new Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) for a network of electric vehicle hubs, the first three of which – Milton Keynes, London and the North East – were announced today and where 11,000 vehicle recharging points will be installed.

The idea is that the experience of these first three hubs – or ‘Plugged-In Places’ as they have been named – will inform the future development of a national charging infrastructure.

The Government is also looking at how to join the Plugged-In Places up with charging infrastructure along strategic corridors, and how to support multi-modal journeys to facilitate the wider use of electric vehicles.

Today’s announcement was welcomed by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) which, through its ‘Joined-Cities Plan’ is working with a number of cities to help develop a user-friendly environment for plug-in vehicles.

The ETI’s ceo, Dr David Clarke commented: “The funding from OLEV’s Plugged‑in‑Places scheme will enable a step‑change in infrastructure deployment in three of these locations – London, Milton Keynes and the North East.”

Plug-In Car Grants open to both private and business fleet buyers
Alongside the Plugged-In Places initiative, the Government has also announced that it will provide a so-called ‘Plug-In Car Grants’ worth 25 per cent of the cost of ultra-low-carbon car.