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Electric Fizzle in UK or Just too Beaten by Recession and Govt. Austerity Plan?
People can get government subsidies of £5,000 to buy electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf. Photograph: Nissan
The government's hoped-for electric car revolution, jump-started by a £5,000 purchase grant per vehicle, is getting off to a slow start with just over 500 people signing up to the scheme since it was introduced at the start of the year.
The figures, revealed in a parliamentary answer by the junior transport minister Norman Baker, show that 534 electric vehicles were registered to the so-called plug-in car grant during the first quarter of 2011. So far, 213 have been delivered.
The incentive scheme, devised by the Labour government to mitigate the fact that electric cars typically cost at least a third more than conventionally-powered equivalents, has sufficient funding during 2011 – the only year for which it is guaranteed pending a coalition review – for 8,600 cars. If sales fail to pick up it will struggle to reach a quarter of that figure.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/28/electric-car-scheme-500-takers
People can get government subsidies of £5,000 to buy electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf. Photograph: Nissan
The government's hoped-for electric car revolution, jump-started by a £5,000 purchase grant per vehicle, is getting off to a slow start with just over 500 people signing up to the scheme since it was introduced at the start of the year.
The figures, revealed in a parliamentary answer by the junior transport minister Norman Baker, show that 534 electric vehicles were registered to the so-called plug-in car grant during the first quarter of 2011. So far, 213 have been delivered.
The incentive scheme, devised by the Labour government to mitigate the fact that electric cars typically cost at least a third more than conventionally-powered equivalents, has sufficient funding during 2011 – the only year for which it is guaranteed pending a coalition review – for 8,600 cars. If sales fail to pick up it will struggle to reach a quarter of that figure.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/28/electric-car-scheme-500-takers