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Purpose
The move to electric vehicle (EVs) is now happening quickly, but it is fragmented and may not be very evident to you yet. Drivers who are thinking about changing to an electric vehicle need the information and confidence to decide when and how to do it. The support we provide here for electric vehicle drivers is closely linked to our support for greater levels of walking, cycling and public transport, including the electrification of buses and Marches rail. https://www.goultralow.com/
Living with an electric car
You can find almost everything you need to know about electric vehicle ownership from the two websites immediately below.
A great place to start learning what it’s like to own an electric car is to visit the Energy Saving Trust’s website. After you have found the site at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk, go to travel and then electric cars and vehicles. From this point look out for several useful video clips.
Start with the electric car guide video. This is a three-minute guide to explain various types of low emission vehicles: hybrids; plug-in hybrids; extended-range electrics and pure electric.
You will find links to other short videos on; the benefits of Electric Vehicles; charging Electric Vehicles and types of vehicles. Another source, in plain English, is of three eight-minute clips: Living with an electric car. These answer the most fundamental questions about owning an electric car.
https://www.goultralow.com/ is another great site where you can find a car selector, car tax calculator, journey range calculator, home charger tool and charging point map searcher
Do not be afraid to click around the site from time to time because it is frequently updated to bring you the latest information.
Grants
Government supports the purchase of electric cars and vehicles through the Plug-in Vehicle Grant Scheme and the costs of installing of a home charger through the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme. Other grant schemes exist for Local Authorities to install On-street residential charge points and employers via the Workplace Charging Scheme.
Grants for buying a vehicle
The Plug-in Vehicle grants provide a subsidy of: 35% of the cost of a car, up to a maximum of either £2,500 or £4,500 depending on the category to which the model belongs to (see below);20% of the cost of a van, up to a maximum of £8,000; 20% of the cost of a motorcycle, up to a maximum of £1,500
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has a list of eligible vehicles. You can find it online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-low-emission-vehicles
Click on https://www.goultralow.com/ to find the required type and specification of car or van, whether pure electric, plug-in hybrid extended range electric or fuel cell by manufacturer. The grant is automatically deducted from the retail price when an eligible vehicle is purchased, so there is no additional paperwork to complete, and there’s no need to pay the full retail price and then reclaim the benefit. For the Plug-in Vehicle Grant, minimum warranty terms apply, and pre-registration conversions are eligible.
There are three grant categories for cars, and categories for motorbikes, mopeds and vans based on their carbon dioxide emissions and their zero-emission range. From 1 March 2016, the grant rates available were: Category 1 vehicles benefit from a grant of £4,500; Category 2 and Category 3 vehicles with a shorter zero emission range — such as plug-in hybrid vehicles with a petrol or diesel engine — receive £2,500.Grants are subject to change, so please check the OLEV Guidance
Grants for Home Chargers
Electric vehicle users can receive funding from OLEV to install a home charger for their plug-in vehicle. The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme provides a grant of up to 75 per cent of the eligible costs of charge point installation (capped at £500, including VAT) for the registered keeper, lessee or nominated primary user of a new or second-hand eligible electric vehicle on or after 1 April 2015 onwards.
Running costs
https://www.goultralow.com/ enables you to make a direct comparison between excise duty and running costs for an electric vehicle compared with an internal combustion engine vehicle. There are fewer mechanical components in Electric Vehicles than conventional vehicles so servicing costs are likely to be lower too. Most electric vehicles on the market today have a range of over 100 miles, so anxiety about running out of power is largely a thing of the past.
23 January,2018
