The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) in the U.K. has announced a $9.1 million investment in workplace electric vehicle (EV) charging and an additional $3.1 million for on-street residential infrastructure.
According to Go Ultra Low, a campaign working to educate the public and fleet audiences about EVs, the announcement comes as the year-to-date plug-in car registrations total passes the sector’s full-year 2015 total. So far this year, U.K. motorists have bought 28,697 electric cars, placing 2016 ahead of last year’s total of 28,188 cars, still with three months to go.
Part of a larger investment in the ultra-low-emission vehicle sector, this investment is set to accelerate electric car uptake by expanding charging options and enhancing motorists’ confidence.
Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, adds, “While more than 90% of electric car charging takes place at home, this announcement gives drivers extra options and addresses a perceived lack of accessible chargepoints.
“Looking at year-on-year growth, September was the 53rd consecutive month of registrations rises in the electric car market. There are more plug-in cars on our streets than ever before. As more drivers realize the cost-saving benefits of these vehicles and the variety of models continues to expand, we expect uptake to continue its strong upward trend.”
Transport Minister John Hayes comments, “The number[s] of ultra-low-emission vehicles on our roads are at record levels, and we are committing 35 million British pounds to help install new chargepoints and offer new grants, as we aim for nearly all cars and vans on our roads to be zero-emission by 2050.”
Of the 30-plus plug-in EVs on the market, the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid EV is the year’s most popular plug-in hybrid, with 7,770 registrations, according to OLEV. The Sunderland-made Nissan LEAF is 2016’s best-performing, pure-electric car, with 3,728 registered over the January-September period.
