Do It Yourself

The government scheme is worth £400m initiative will begin on January 1 and will mean motorists can claim a 25% discount on the price of nine models of car: the Smart fortwo electric drive, the Peugeot iON, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Citroen CZero, the Tata Vista EV, the Toyota Prius Plug-in, the Chevrolet Volt and the Vauxhall Ampera.

Industry experts are saying that it is unlikely to have a major impact on the British car fleet; the subsidy will translate to around 15,000 cars per year. However it will undoubtedly send a signal about the British car industry, which has already won the competition to build the European version of the Nissan Leaf at the Japanese firm’s Sunderland factory. Many automakers relied on leasing cars or personal contract purchase to shift electric models or sold expensive small roadsters in small quantities. Green cars will surely become affordable to more sections of the population.

But only three of the nine cars will be available for delivery from the start of next year with the others not being available as late as 2012. The Smart, the Peugeot and the Mitsubishi will be ready for contract purchasewhen the programme begins in January next year. Government grants will be given to the East of England, Greater Manchester, the Midlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The money will pay for charging infrastructure to support electric vehicles. London, Milton Keynes and the North East will get similar funding and will also eceive money from a central fund worth a total of £20m.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: “Government action to support affordable vehicles and more local charging points means we are on the threshold of a green revolution. This year could be when the green car took off.” He added: “Anyone who’s filled up at a petrol station recently will realise that the ability to recharge overnight at 1-3 pence per kilometre is extremely attractive. The point of supporting this technology is to get it up to scale.”