In a controversial move, the government has closed the 300 300m grant program for new orders for new orders, the Ministry of Transport said. The industry leader said the move would leave the UK as the only major European country without any incentive for electric cars. The government said the grants created a mature market for extremely low-emission vehicles, helping to increase sales of fully electric cars from less than 1,000 in 2011 to almost 100,000 in the first five months of 2022 alone. Battery-powered electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles (EVs) now make up more than half of all new cars sold, and sales of all-electric cars have risen by 70% in the last year, accounting for one in six new cars on the road. United Kingdom. DfT said it wanted to focus funding on expanding the public grid charging station and 300 300 million in grants would refocus on extending grants to encourage sales of electric taxis, trucks, lorries, motorcycles, motorcycles and as announced. in last year’s autumn statement. Previous cuts in grants have had little impact on rapidly growing demand for electric cars, indicating it was the right time to shift resources to charging infrastructure and sales of other types of vehicles, the department said. Subscribe to the daily Business Today email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk However, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the decision to abolish the plug-in car subsidy sent the “wrong message to motorists and to an industry that remains committed to the government’s pure zero ambition” at a time when new car sales have dropped. Mike Hawes, CEO of the Industrial Group, said: “While we welcome the government’s continued support for new buyers of electric vans, taxis and custom vehicles, we are now the only major European market with zero pre-purchase incentives for car buyers. EV ambitious plans for acceptance. “With the industry still not recovering and all the manufacturers being assigned to sell significantly more EVs than current demand shows, this decision comes at the worst possible time. “If we want to have a chance to achieve goals, the government must use these savings and force huge investments in the charging network, at a fast pace and on a scale beyond anything that has been announced so far.”
