Open letter to the UK Secretary of State for Transport

On 16th April 2009 Mr. Geoff Hoon, the UK Transport Secretary, announced a £250 m programme of support for the purchase of electric vehicles. Central to the statement was the announcement that electric cars –excluding quadricycles– will receive up to £5,000 subsidy per car, commencing in 2011.

Going-Electric welcomes this announcement, but believes it is ill conceived on two points:

• First, it counter-productive in the short term and distorts competition.
  
  Indeed, the announcement encourages potential EV buyers to wait till 2011 in order to benefit of the subsidy. The net result is:
   
  • To delay in the introduction of electric vehicles into the UK.
     
  • To place manufacturers and retailers that are currently in the electric vehicles business at a disadvantage - and at risk of bankrupcy.
     
• Second, electric quadricycles should be included in the scheme.
  
  Quadricycles are a European category of small vehicles with limited power.
  Being smaller, lighter and lower powered than ordinary cars, electric quadricycles are exceptionnally environmentally friendly, while very well suited for congested urban traffic. Also, accident statistics indicates that they are remaquably safe.
   
  Electric quadricycles should therefore receive subsidies at least equivalent to electric cars.
  

Therefore we wrote an open letter to Geoff Hoon on 21 April 2009 urging the UK government to:
1. Commence the subsidy scheme immediately.
2. Include small electric vehicles in the scheme on the same terms as cars.

Read our open letter to Geoff Hoon.