Planned subsidy will persuade motorists to switch to electric cars

A £5,000 subsidy would go along way towards persuading motorists to buy electric cars, the latest research from TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk reveals.

According to the definitive guide to green cars, 60 per cent website visitors would be swayed to buy an electric car if the sizeable price tags could be shrunk through Government incentives.

Currently many of the electric and hybrid plug-ins cars likely to be eligible under the scheme, are expected to come at a premium. While first generation hybrid and especially electric quadricycles seem quite reasonably priced, they are not expected to qualify thanks to the strict criteria that will apply to the incentives.

The next generation of plug-in hybrids and range extended vehicles such as the Toyota’s plug in Prius expected in the UK by 2010, or the Vauxhall Ampera expected by 2012, will be eligible. Electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf, Mini E, Citroen C1 Ev’ie and the Mitsubishi i MiEV will also likely qualify.

According to the Department for Transport (DfT) who announced the planned subsidies in April, the incentives are likely to come into place in 2011, when it is predicted that many of the eligible vehicles will hit the UK market. An incentive of between £2,000 and £5,000 could be introduced to encourage the market for these electric powered cars.

Pricing for some of the eligible vehicles is predicted to be around £20,000 to £94,000.

As such the Government incentives need to be on the generous side of the expected bracket says Faye Sunderland, spokesperson for TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk:” Even with the incentive, the price difference between conventional cars and these new generation electric and hybrid cars could remain a significant deterrent.”

“It shouldn’t be underestimated how much support the electric car market is going to need in terms of incentives and extending charging infrastructure in order to make it possible to get these cars on the road.

“Our poll shows that there is strong public support for electric cars but without commitment of the carmakers and the UK Government prices will remain too high for most.”