Electric car drivers in some cities will soon be able to use the bus lanes. This will also apply to plug-in hybrids that can drive a considerable distance on just electric power but will not apply to the normal hybrids. This will be rolled out on a city-by-city basis. Derby and Milton Keynes will be the first cities to operate the scheme, with others expected to join soon.
The scheme was announced by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin in January 2016. The aim is to provide extra perks to electric car drivers to encourage the take-up of electric vehicle ownership. Other perks will include free car parking. It is hoped that the lure of the many miles of bus lanes to help beat the traffic congestion will be a powerful incentive.
EV and the city
The UK Government sees this scheme as helping the UK meet its carbon budgets and tackle the issue of the illegal levels of nitrogen oxide on many of our busy city streets.
Norway introduced similar incentives, which ultimately resulted in them becoming a world leader for electric vehicle ownership. During the three-year scheme, around one out of every five new cars sold was an EV. However, this scheme is now being withdrawn.
The latest generation of the Nissan Leaf’s extended range is making electric car ownership more desirable; the Tesla Model S and BMW i3 are also making strides. There is also the eagerly anticipated Tesla 3 due next year, and the Model X, which will be available this year.
The Ford Focus, Kia Soul, VW Golf and Up, and Renault Zoe all have fully electric variants. The choice is growing. For city use, there is also the Renault Twizy if you enjoy being the centre of attention or the Citroen C-Zero for more conventional looks.
EVs are generally more expensive than their combustion-engined sisters, so needing credit is more likely. As an example, if you are considering car credit in Portsmouth, you could look into places such as http://www.rightdrive.co.uk.
EV golden buying era
We are now in what is likely to be looked back upon as the golden era of EV car purchasing. All it takes is a minor adjustment in our driving behaviour to allow EVs to meet most of our driving needs.
