Andrew Jones, the new transport minister, has welcomed a ‘substantial increase’ in the number of new ultra low emission vehicles registered in the United Kingdom.
A total of 9,046 ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) were registered in the first quarter of 2015, which the DfT says equates to a rise of 366% from the same period in 2014.
Andrew Jones said: “I am delighted to see such a huge rise in the number of people buying ULEVs.
“The Go Ultra Low campaign is making low emission vehicles an increasingly popular choice and the government is investing £500m over the next five years in making them more accessible to families and businesses across the country.
“It’s a great example of Britain leading the way in developing sustainable transport options that are affordable for everyone.”
Launched in January 2014, the Go Ultra Low campaign is a partnership between government and the motor vehicle industry to “debunk common myths and misconceptions that put drivers off switching to electric or hybrid cars”.
The campaign website enables people to match their own needs with the ultra low emission vehicle that’s right for them, as well as providing information highlighting the advantages of these vehicles.
In October 2014, the government announced that “record numbers” are taking advantage of the Plug-in Car Grant which reduces the price of ULEVs by up to £5,000 for cars and £8,000 for vans.
Between July and September 2014 more than 5,000 grants were provided, more than double the number in the previous three months and at that time there were more than 17,000 grant funded ULEVs in the UK.
Of course electrics are not the only Ultra Low Emission Vehicles and 3.3m of them were sold in 2013.
Now they are being used to economically transport people around our towns, cities and villages without requiring any charging stations. And what is more they are also Ultra High Health Vehicles with the average user gaining several years in life expectancy over perpetual high emission vehicle users.
They are, of course, bicycles!
Rod King, 20’s Plenty for Us
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How many miles do these ultra low emission vehicles get for each gallon of fuel burnt at the power station? Using data from the BMW I3, it looks as though ultra low emission vehicles might be emitting similar levels of gases as equivalent fossil-fuelled cars. They are still many problems to overcome but, having seen some ULE cars on the roads, they do look futuristic!
Dave Finney, Slough
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