Supporters of electric vehicles believe sales will pick up this year as more models, such as the Vauxhall Ampera and Renault’s ZE range, enter the market.

The inclusion of vans in the plug-in grant scheme may widen the appeal to urban-based fleets, where range issues can be better managed.

“An upfront purchase grant, when combined with lower running costs and tax benefits, can make switching to an ultra-low carbon van an attractive choice,” said business minister Mark Prisk.

For example, Renault’s Kangoo Van ZE – costing £16,990 excluding VAT and monthly battery hire – would cost £13,592, putting it within £1,000 of its diesel counterpart.

“This addresses the big question that many customers and industry commentators have been asking us for many months and I think we can expect to see a surge in demand,” said Andy Heiron, head of the electric vehicle programme at Renault.

EV charging infrastructure takes shape

There are more than 2,500 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations – an average of 2.4 per plug-in car – installed in the UK, Government figures suggest.

It says that 765 have been delivered through its Plugged-in Places programme and the remainder through private sector investment, which has committed to deliver a further 4,000 points across the UK by the end of 2012.

However, the Government hopes that the majority of recharging will take place at home.
Nevertheless, it’s made £30 million in matched funding available through Plugged-in Places to support the installation and trialling of recharging infrastructure in eight places across the UK. They are: London, Milton Keynes, East of England, Midlands, Greater Manchester, the North East, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The eight projects aim to install up to 8,500 charge points, in homes, workplaces, car parks and on street.

They are trialling different delivery models, including approaches that are led by the public sector, for example in Milton Keynes, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the private sector in the East of England and Greater Manchester.

Membership models are also being trialled in London and the North East, with pre-paid models in Northern Ireland and pay-as-you-go systems in Greater Manchester.

In addition, a number of projects are investigating recharging in the home including the East of England and Northern Ireland, with the Midlands project aiming to make 1,000 houses in a new development in Corby ‘plug-in vehicle ready’.

Europe is expected to have two million charging points, with the UK 390,000, by 2017.

The DfT has said a ‘National Chargepoint Register’ is being established to make it easier for drivers to locate recharging points and to track the growth in the national charging network. This will be operational early this year.