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The UK government has announced that it is investing £120 million to encourage van drivers and businesses to transition to zero emission electric vehicles (EVs).
The investment is an extension of the plug-in van grant, which allows businesses and van drivers to get grants of up to £2,500 when buying small vans up to 2.5 tonnes and up to £5,000 for larger vans up to 4.25 tonnes.
The government said the grant has already led to the sale of over 80,000 electric and zero emission vans since its launch.
It says that it is also making it easier to make the switch to zero emission EVs as it is removing the additional training requirement for zero emission vans, as they can be heavier than their fossil fuel equivalents despite being of the same size.
The funding is part of over £2.3 billion the government has made available to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to electric vehicles.
The government is also supporting taxi drivers make the switch to electric by making £4,000 available to buy an iconic zero emission black cab along with other models, while the plug-in wheelchair accessible vehicle grant cap is also being increased from £35,000 to £50,000 which the government said will enable disabled passengers to get around more easily.
“From van drivers and businesses, to drivers with accessibility needs, bikers and cabbies, today we are making it easier, faster and cheaper for people to switch to electric vehicles,” said future of roads minister, Lilian Greenwood. “By making the transition to zero emissions a success, we’re helping to drive growth all over the UK, putting more money in people’s pockets and rebuilding Britain to deliver our Plan for Change.”
