In January of last year the deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg led the formal unveiling of a £2.5m campaign encouraging UK motorists to adopt Ultra Low Emission Vehicles – or ULEVs, for short. The Government’s aim is for these environmentally friendly vehicles to account for every new vehicle on the road by 2040. The campaign was labelled ‘Go Ultra Low’ with BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Vauxhall all acting as joint partners.
The key benefits of ULEVs
- Impressive performance
- Low running costs
- No congestion charge or cheaper (if not free) parking while topping up your battery.
In September 2013, the Government launched ‘Driving the Future‘ a renewed strategy to promote the production and uptake of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs).
The government has earmarked a £500 million investment aimed at encouraging the uptake of ULEVs.
The investment, which will take place between 2015 and 2020, will focus on four initiatives designed to increase the uptake of ULEVs, encourage innovation and create jobs.
The plan
- Local authorities are being encouraged to compete for a share of £35m aimed at projects to make ULEV ownership more attractive in towns and cities.
- £50m will be made available for local areas to invest in cleaner taxis and buses
- £32m is being invested into charging infrastructure, including plans to install rapid charge-points across the ‘M’ and ‘A’ road network by 2020.
- Car grants of £5,000 off the upfront cost of ULEVs will be extended
- £100m is earmarked for further research and development in low carbon technologies for the automotive industry
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said: ‘This major investment is there to make driving an electric car affordable, convenient, and free from anxiety about the battery running out. It’s also about creating a culture change in our towns and cities so that driving a greener vehicle is a no-brainer for most drivers.”
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