Is it time to go Dutch on electric autos?

As a nation, we nonetheless do not actually trust electric cars (EV’s). In spite of the government incentives and less costly running costs, there’s nonetheless one thing about electric vehicles that arouses suspicion – it could be a be concerned about how far we can get on a single charge, the hassle of refueling or the fact the factors expense so much more to get than equivalent fossil-fuelled models.

Or it could simply be that these incentives just aren’t enough. So is it time we upped our game in the UK and looked to areas like Holland and Norway, the only countries on the planet where EV sales account for far more than 1% of new vehicles sold, to see why their incentive schemes are operating?

Going Dutch

Worldwide sales of EV’s have now tipped the 200,000-a-year mark, which indicates number-crunchers can now begin analyzing the figures to work out which incentives are attracting buyers and why – a activity taken on by the boffins at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

ICCT analysts have examined the connection amongst EV incentives and take up across 8 European nations, as well as China, Japan and the US and created a report, entitled Driving Electrification, which has found the only areas exactly where EV’s account for far more than 1% of new automobiles sold are those that provide substantial financial incentives or have legal specifications for supplying electric cars.

Norway, where plug-ins and hybrids accounted for 6.1% of all cars sold in 2013, presently leads the way in EV take-up, closely followed by the Netherlands exactly where eco-cars created up about 5% of vehicle sales last year.

It comes as no surprise to find out these 2 nations offer the highest incentives, by way of purchase and registration tax exemptions and fuel rates. For instance, reduce running fees and tax incentives in Norway mean that motorists can save as considerably as €11,500 (£9,357) by getting an all-electric Renault Zoe alternatively of a Clio, its petrol-powered equivalent. German motorists, on the other hand, would only stand to save €1,362 (£1,108), producing the hassle-totally free Clio the much more appealing option.

It’s not all about the funds

The ICCT report also identified that it wasn’t just monetary incentives that drove higher EV sales and other alternatives such as the shared use and shared ownership of EV’s ought to be deemed.

California, for example, is the only place outside of Norway and Holland where EV’s make up much more than 1% of all new car sales, and this is largely down a state-wide regulation that calls for car manufacturers to provide a specific quantity of zero-emission automobiles that come with added parking positive aspects and grants of about $ 2,450 (£1,465) for complete electric cars and $ 1,498 (£895) for hybrids.

Is it time to get a hybrid auto

The take-up in Holland could be set to develop even additional following the news that the A15 motorway, which runs from the port of Rotterdam to the east of the nation, is to be turned into the world’s 1st sustainable motorway, used by a big number of EV’s, all powered from renewable sources and generated along the motorway’s corridor.

If the program is a success it is hoped that by next year 40,000 individuals will own or share an EV powered by solar or wind energy from panels or turbines located alongside the A15.

So perhaps it is time we looked at generating our ‘smart motorways’ a small bit smarter.

Over to you – what incentives would make you take the plunge and go electric?

Is it time to go Dutch on electric autos?