Could The Potential Price Drop For Electric Vehicle Chargers Boost Sales Of Greener Cars?
The Government is said to be looking to cut the cost of installing electric vehicle charging points for businesses across the country.
The plan would open the door for much greater use of electric vehicles that have been held back by the lack of opportunities for users to top up their battery charge.
A Government spokesman told Motoring.co.uk to ‘watch this space’ and admitted that ‘fitting charge points in workplace car parks is a huge opportunity’.
Similar deal to domestic users
Any workplace charging grant is likely to work in a similar way to the Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme. This is an ongoing scheme that aims to help people offset the cost of installing car recharging units at their homes.
It works by giving drivers a 75 per cent contribution towards the cost of installing the point, up to £500. It is eligible to drivers of the Nissan LEAF, BMW i3, Citroen CZero, Audi A3 e-tron, BMW 330e, Renault Zoe and the Nissan e-NV200 (van).
It remains to be seen if the financial terms and range of models would be the same, but its thought any deal would be broadly similar.
The AA makes its bid to boost charging points
It’s not just the Government that is looking to boost the use of electric charging points. The AA and Chargemaster has also launched a partnership to deliver on a similar aim. In particular, it will look to install them at 2,500 AA-rated hotels across the UK.
AA president Edmund King said: “We think that the EV revolution is about to take off and we want to help consumers understand the benefits of low cost, low emission driving and to show them it is accessible and affordable.”
AA and Chargemaster have also vowed to overcome ‘misconceptions’ over the cost of installing charging points and the way in which these are used.
London Mayor unveils T-charge
The drive to deliver a better infrastructure for electric vehicles comes at a time when vehicle emissions is being placed on the political agenda.
New London Mayor Sadiq Khan has made this one of his immediate priorities, and recent unveiled a new ‘T-charge’. Starting next year, this will effectively be a £10 levy on cars registered before 2005 entering Central London. The Mayor is also looking into a diesel scrappage scheme, something that could be launched across the UK to tackle pollution.
The green driving revolution is on its way
The green credentials of a car have already become an important consideration for drivers. If moves from the Government and the AA can unlock greater access to charging points and understanding of electric vehicles, then this will serve to turbo charge the green driving revolution and make such considerations even more important.
If these hurdles can be overcome then businesses and domestic users alike will be much more likely to add them to their shopping lists – whether they’re buying on Auto Trader or looking to enter into a contract with Lease Car. In turn, rising demand is likely to bring down the cost of makes and models in this sector and bring them into the sights of all road users. The price of charging points could well be the catalyst for all of this. ‘Watch this space’ indeed.
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