£20m to get more electric vans on the road

The Times
October 27, 2008

London
Ministers will boost the green motoring industry by investing millions of pounds of public money on environmentally friendly vehicles.
Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, will announce that some local councils and other public bodies will be given a £20 million fund to buy and run electric vans. He will also provide details of a trial of electric cars and convenient charging points announced by Gordon Brown this summer. The Prime Minister has regularly championed the use of electric cars as a means to meeting Britain’s carbon emission cutting target – increased to 80 per cent this month – and cutting dependence on oil. So far, however, the take-up has been tiny, only 0.1 per cent of vehicles on the roads are electric. Four local authorities – Liverpool, Newcastle & Gateshead, Coventry and Leeds – will join Royal Mail and the Metropolitan Police in the scheme. Ford, Mercedes Benz, Citroën and Nissan are expected to be shortlisted to supply the vehicles. The aim is to get the vans on the streets next year.