Electric Cars

The UK Government has announced a £250 million support package for electric cars, due to commence in 2011. £5,000 grants will be made available to the purchasers of new electric cars and £20 million will be allocated to providing recharging points in UK cities.

The choice of electric vehicles has puzzled many commentators as environmental transports specialists have concluded that electric cars are no better environmentally than clean petrol and diesel vehicles. This analysis is based on the fact that the majority of UK electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels. Electric cars have, on average, a range of 50-60 miles and take 8 hours to recharge. The Government is hoping that a new generation of Lithium-ion batteries will provide greater range.

Plug in hybrids, which provide a back up petrol engine to batteries, look far more promising in terms of acceptance by consumers. This initiative seems to have its rationale in a desperate attempt to get electric cars manufactured in the UK and to cut CO2 emissions from transport, as the UK struggles to meet its 20% reduction target by 2020. There are now 100 recharging stations on the streets of London.

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