Supply issues prompt Department for Transport to extend financial support for electric car purchases
The Government has extended the UK plug-in car grant by 18 months in the face of supply chain issues.
In a statement, the Department for Transport (DfT) said: “We have temporarily extended the plug-in vehicle grant delivery period in recognition of the continuing delays in manufacturing supply chains, due to ongoing semiconductor shortages and the conflict in Ukraine.”
The extension covers all grants logged on the system between 14 June 2021 and 31 March 2023. The DfT added that it would continue to work with the automotive industry to monitor supply chain issues.
Rapid electric car charging cost rises by 21 per cent in eight months
Rapid electric car charging cost rises by 21 per cent in eight monthsThe DfT announced it was axing the plug-in car grant back in June 2022. This temporary stay of execution for the scheme means electric car buyers can claim up to a maximum of £1,500 on an EV costing no more than £32,000.
The grant has helped increase the sales of fully electric cars from less than 1,000 in the whole of 2011 to 137,498 in the first eight months of 2022 alone. Electric car sales have risen 70 per cent in the last year and now make up one in six new cars sold in the UK.
The decision to axe the grant back in June wasn’t well received by the industry, with concerns it would slow the rate at which new and used EVs became more affordable for drivers.
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