NICE one! £100m boost for electric vehicles

The Department for Transport has confirmed a £100m package to boost the market for electric vehicles. NICE (no internal combustion engine) says it is the clearest indication yet that government acknowledges the role all-electric motoring will play in the battle against climate change.

However government must be clear that, while mainstream car makers are planning new models for 2012, electric vehicles are already on sale today. NICE currently supplies the largest range of cars, vans and motorcycles, all exclusively powered by electricity, all of which are zero-emissions.

“Despite the economic downturn, government knows it can’t afford to postpone action on climate change,” said NICE co-founder Evert Geursten. “Electric vehicles are emissions-free, but also a recession-busting form of transport with motoring costs a fraction of those for standard petrol and diesel models. It’s a winning combination that benefits the environment and our customers today.”

In the face of an economic downturn, the business case for owning an electric vehicle has never been clearer. NICE owners benefit from incentives like:

Running costs from a couple of pence per mile. That’s around a fifteenth of those for a petrol or diesel car.

No annual road tax. All NICE electric vehicles are zero-emissions and therefore exempt.

Congestion charge exempt. Electric cars and vans do not pay the £8 daily charge to enter the zone, saving around £2,000 a year for those regularly driving into the centre of London.

Free parking. Forward-thinking London boroughs like Westminster provide free parking for drivers of all-electric cars. The saving runs into thousands of pounds a year. Other boroughs also provide parking incentives like free on-street parking for residents.

Free re-charging points. More re-charging points will help. However, Westminster is leading the way with 60 ‘juice points’ on streets around the borough.

NICE’s most popular car, The Mega City, starts at £11,499 on the road. It has a 40 mile range from one charge – more than adequate for the majority of city journeys - and comes with standard equipment including CD-radio, electric windows, parking sensors and remote central locking.

The Mega-Truck range starts from £9,595 (ex VAT) with additional benefits of 100% corporation tax write-down in the first year.