UK leading EV drive
Transport minister, Andrew Jones has hailed the significant investment by UK companies in electric vehicle (EV) fleets at a business summit in London.
Company bosses were praised for adopting ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) at the Future of Business Mobility summit, which was hosted today by the government-backed Go Ultra Low campaign. Transport minister Andrew Jones urged those companies to remain ‘ambitious and bold’ in embracing plug-in vehicle technology, and spearheading the development of this growing sector of the UK car market.
Analysis by Go Ultra Low shows 20,992 ULEVs were registered between January and September this year, growth of 138.5% against 2014. More than 64% of these registrations were made to UK businesses, highlighting the important role that companies play in new car purchasing. During the first nine months of 2015, ULEV market share grew to just over 1% of the market. Government anticipates that 5% of new car registrations (around 100,000 units) will be ultra-low emission by 2020.
Speaking at the Go Ultra Low Summit, Andrew Jones said, ‘UK businesses have a crucial role to play in driving the growth of the UK’s electric vehicle market; two thirds of ultra-low emission cars registered in the UK this year were bought for fleet and business use. We want to make electric vehicles the natural choice for all motorists, and the faith placed in this technology by UK businesses is helping to change attitudes and boost demand. Company bosses recognise that electric vehicles are good for business and good for Britain, and we want the general public to follow their example.’
There are 27 pure electric or plug-in hybrid cars and nine vans, now available to buy in the UK.
