Plug-in vehicles power up as sales accelerate

Motorists across the county are embracing electric powered vehicles as numbers accelerated by more than 40% across Kent and Medway, according to the latest figures.

From October 2017 to September 2018, the number of registered plug-in vehicles in Kent increased by 43% and in Medway by 40%.

The latest Department for Transport statistics show the number of registered electric or plug-in hybrid cars, vans and micro cars called quadricycles in Kent for each quarter of the year.

From July 2017 to September 2017 there were 2,066 electric vehicles in Kent.

However by the latest quarter, from July to September 2018, that figure had grown to 2,945, a jump of 879.

In Medway the number rose from 284 to 398.

However, both are sill lower than the increase of 1,770 in Peterborough, which has the highest percentage of plug-in vehicles of any local authority in the UK.

But back in 2013, in Kent, there were just 150 electric cars, which shows the pro- gress the industry has made in a short time.

Over the past few years manufacturers have increased the range of their vehicles, and prices have lowered, helping fuel the rise in environmentally friendly vehicles.

The latest Nissan Leaf, the UK’s most popular entirely electric car, can now travel 235 miles before it needs to be recharged, 80 miles more than the previous version.

Over the next year BP will install charging points at its petrol stations, following Shell’s roll out in 2017. Dyson has also said it plans to release an electric car by 2020.

One advantage electric car users have over other vehicles is that they do not have to pay road tax, as they do not release any emissions.

Electricity is also far cheaper than petrol and diesel.

However, in November, the government reduced the maximum discount electric car buyers could get from £4,500 to £3,500.

Compared with the 2,945 electric cars on our roads, there are 875,469 cars and vans in total, according to the latest data from 2017.

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The number of electric vehicles across Kent and Medway are on the rise according to the latest figures

Electric charging points are becoming more common in the county