CALL FOR TAX BREAKS FOR EV OWNERS

Britain should offer financial incentives such as tax exemptions and free parking to encourage the rapid adoption of electric cars, according to an industry expert.

Speaking after Prime Minister Theresa May said she wanted the UK to be a world leader in low-emissions vehicles, EV expert Guillaume Saint said the UK should follow Norway’s progressive approach to achieve that.

Mr Saint, global automotive practice lead at research and consultancy firm kantar tns, pointed to the country’ s incentive-led approach.

He said: “Last year 35 per of Norway’s cars were fully electric [compared to the global average of one per cent], arguably achieved by making the vehicles appeal to more than just the environmentally friendly consumer.

“By highlighting benefits alongside capital incentives and a high number of available charging points, the country has been able to drive mass uptake.”

Among the ways Norway has encouraged EV take-up is by exempting them from vat/ sales tax. in theuk that would knock 20 per cent off the purchase price of pure electric vehicles and address theconcern among some that evsare too expensive.

Mr saint also suggestedbritain could offer other financial incentives such as lowerenergy costs forev drivers to allow cheaper recharging and free charging stations in councilrun parking facilities.

Norwegian EV drivers are also allowed to use bus lanes, can park for free in any residents’ parking bays and have dedicated city centre parking areas in an effort to make EV ownership more convenient than owning a regular car.

Mr Saint also called for the wider introduction of publicly accessible charging points. Britain currently has around 18,000 charging points in 6,000 locations but lack of infrastructure is still regularly cited as a roadblock to people switching to EVS.