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The Government has announced a two-year extension of plug-in van and truck grants.
The Renewable Energy Association (REA) joined the BVRLA and a coalition of industry partners in writing to the Chancellor, urging the Government to provide more support to the electric van market.
The extension is expected to support the purchase of tens of thousands of greener vans and trucks. Last year, industry figures showed the UK had the highest number of plug-in electric vans sold in Europe and there were around 4 times as many grant applications compared to 2020.
Existing grants have supported the purchase of more than 26,000 electric vans and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) across the UK since the programme launched in 2012.
Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said: “When it comes to clean business, this government means business. We are backing a generation of green growth for our thriving fleet sector.
“As demand for electric vehicles continues to grow at speed, this extension to our grant scheme will allow tens of thousands more vans to be purchased, transporting goods in a way which is kinder to our environment. This will support our vital, ongoing work to clean up our air in towns and cities right across the country and build back greener.”
The REA has welcomed the extension, calling the transition to electric vans “essential”.
Jacob Roberts, Transport Policy Manager at the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said:
“With the majority of vans being fuelled by diesel, transitioning to electric vans is essential, not only to decarbonise road transport, but to protect businesses against rising fuel costs and dependencies on imported fuels too.
“For this reason, we are delighted that the Government has committed to extend the plug-in van grant for at least two years. Combined with the expansion of funding available to support businesses to install charge points at their places of work, this will allow more businesses to access the benefits of zero-emission vans.”
