Pledge for clean transport in Autumn Statement

The Chancellor has announced £390 million funding for ultra-low emission vehicles and renewable fuels as part of the Autumn Statement.

The funding is part of the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) which will invest the money into ULEVs, renewable fuels and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) by 2020-21.

The £390 million sum has been attributed to different areas: £80m will go towards the ULEV charging infrastructure, £150m in support of low emission buses and taxis, £20m for the development of alternative aviation and heavy goods vehicle fuels and £100m for new UK CAV testing.

Away from funding, up until the end of March 2019, the government will offer 100 per cent first year allowances for companies investing in charge points for electric vehicles. This will work in addition to the tax incentives for ULEVs in company tax and salary sacrifice schemes. Company car tax bands and rates for 2020-21 will also be tailored to provide further incentives for the purchase of ULEVs.

We hope that the investment will add to the significant advancements in innovation that we have seen over the past few years. The industry has come a long way but with plug-in vehicles still only accounting for around one per cent of new car purchases, further investment is welcomed.

Many drivers are in fact suited to electric motoring but may not consider choosing an electric vehicle when buying a new car. One of main reasons for this is not knowing what to expect. For this reason, before committing to a purchase of a low-emission vehicle, it is beneficial to test the car in your day to day life - making sure that the vehicle suits your needs.

As experts in low-emission rental, Green Motion have a fleet of electric and hybrid cars with staff that can help you in selecting the right vehicle. To find out more about the range of vehicles we have available for hire, call us today on 0333 888 4000.