{"id":96515,"date":"2018-10-11T17:33:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T17:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=a3d6b0e45421d5f9ef1672ca873bc094"},"modified":"2018-10-11T17:33:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T17:33:00","slug":"news-story-reformed-plug-in-car-grant-extended-into-next-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=96515","title":{"rendered":"News story: Reformed Plug-In Car Grant extended into next decade"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The government has today (11 October 2018) announced changes to funding to support purchasing the next 35,000 of the cleanest vehicles.<\/p>\n

For the last 7 years, the Plug-in Car Grant (PICG<\/abbr>) has provided a discount to the price of over 160,000 new ultra-low emission vehicles.<\/p>\n

These changes to financial incentives<\/a> reflect the ongoing success of the PICG<\/abbr> in increasing uptake of electric vehicles, a key part of the government\u2019s Road to Zero strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The PICG<\/abbr> has helped the plug-in hybrid market become more established, and the government will now focus its support on zero emission models like pure electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars.<\/p>\n

The changes to the grant announced today will mean that the grant rate for Category 1 vehicles will move from \u00a34,500 to \u00a33,500 and Category 2 and 3 vehicles will no longer be eligible for the grant.<\/p>\n

The PICG<\/abbr> was first introduced in 2011, designed to help stimulate the early market for ultra-low emission vehicles.<\/p>\n

So far it has supported the purchase of over 160,000 new cars. With plug-in hybrid models like the Mitsubishi Outlander becoming popular among consumers the government is focussing its attention to zero emission models such as the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3.<\/p>\n

Plug-in hybrid vehicles are among the cleanest on the road, and can deliver significant CO2<\/abbr> savings compared to petrol\/diesel cars. These vehicles will continue to receive support through lower car tax rates, grants for charging infrastructure and local incentives (such as free parking).<\/p>\n

Following the success of the PICG<\/abbr> scheme the government has rolled out Plug-In Van, and Motorcycle grants, available to both private and business buyers across the UK<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

Following the Last Mile call for evidence<\/a>, and in light of evidence from other countries, a \u00a32 million fund is planned. This will contribute 20% of the purchase price of new e-cargo bikes, up to a threshold of \u00a35,000. Funding will be conditional on individual businesses following a code of cycle safety good practice.<\/p>\n

This new fund will help to cut congestion and improve air quality, encouraging companies to replace older, polluting vans with a zero emission alternative to create a cleaner, greener future. Money will be split between larger fleets and smaller operators to ensure benefits are available to and spread between all sizes of business.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the department has separately set aside \u00a3100,000 for capacity building in the industry, and will be reviewing opportunities and potential measures to encourage commercial leasing of e-cargo bikes in order to support widespread uptake over the longer term.<\/p>\n

We are investing in the design, development and infrastructure needed to speed up the uptake of green vehicles. We are providing \u00a31.5 billion for ultra-low emission vehicles by 2020, and creating a \u00a3400 million fund to invest in the roll-out of charging point infrastructure, in partnership with industry.<\/p>\n

Further information<\/h2>\n

Since its introduction in 2011 the PICG<\/abbr> has:<\/p>\n