Government should encourage more people to buy electric cars and other low emission vehicles by allowing them free parking, permission to use bus lanes and free use of tolled infrastructure a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research said on Monday.

In ‘Leading the charge: Can Britain develop a global advantage in ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs)?’ IPPR said that Britain is slipping behind competitor countries in the take up of ULEVs and in plug-in charging infrastructure.

ULEVs are defined as any vehicle whose average carbon emissions are categorised as being under 75g CO₂/km. Currently these are likely to be plug-in electric vehicles but in future they may include hydrogen vehicles and carbon efficient petrol and diesel cars.

Other incentives for car buyers suggested by IPPR are priority parking over less fuel efficient vehicles and exemption from congestion charges.

A current Government fund to help buyers of more expensive ULEVs has had few takers. A grant of up to £5000 is being offered towards up to 25% of a vehicle but by the end of 2012 only 5.6% of the £300M fund had been used.

Lack of charging options for electric vehicles is one of the problems highlighted by IPPR. The Coalition had pledged to “mandate a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles” but this was abandoned in 2011 in favour of home recharging after peak electricity demand.

Transportation Professional reported in March that the Scottish Government plans to install charging points at the homes of drivers of electric vehicles for free.

Photo: Mariordo - Mario Roberto Duran Otriz

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