CASE STUDY

MARTIN Cotton has already ordered an electric car to replace his 11year-old BMW, which is now classified as a ‘dirty diesel’.

The 66-year-old, left, swapped before diesel owners were hit with higher fuel and vehicle excise duty costs.

He has another diesel car, but expects to change that, too, soon – along with many making the shift from diesel to electric promoted by the Budget.

Mr Cotton, who rents out properties around Britain, travels long distances for work and is confident that an electric car will save him money.

He recently ordered an electric BMW I3 for delivery in March 2018 – a few months later than expected.

‘BMW must have had a large number of orders as the delivery date has been pushed back a few months’, he said. My intention is to have two electric cars, but I’ll wait until they bring out a model that can do longer distances before getting the second.’

Speaking about yesterday’s Budget, Mr Cotton, who lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with his wife Pauline, said: ‘I expect diesel fuel duty will rise in the next few years – they probably froze it this time around to get more votes.

‘It’s great that the Government has pledged money to improve the infrastructure for electric cars. I imagine more people will make the switch.’

The BMW I3 can travel roughly 120 miles on a single charge, although future models are expected to cover more than twice that distance.

He said: ‘The problem that might put people off an electric vehicle is the upfront cost. But I think it works out cheaper in the long term. Running an electric car costs 4p per mile compared to double that for a diesel.

‘It would be nice to see the Government provide more help in the cost of installing a home charging point for the car. They currently cover 75 per cent of the cost but some people, such as myself, still have to buy extra parts, which can come to £2,000.’