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Homecharge grant to continue and extended to small businesses
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Homecharge grant to continue – and extended to small busineses
The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) has been extended to include small businesses and those in leasehold and rented accommodation. The Department for Transport has also confirmed the scheme – which provides up to £350 towards a chargepoint – will continue next year.
Small to medium enterprises will get access to the benefit via the Workplace Charging Scheme and the DfT hopes it will provide a boost as staff return to work. The changes will also mean that small accommodation businesssse can benefit from the funding, “boosting rural areas, and tackling the ‘range anxiety’ associated with long journeys”.
This investment comes as the department launches a consultation on improving the charging experience – simplifying payments and increasing reliability – taking a step closer to delivering on the commitment to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.
The consultation suggests simplifying payment at chargepoints, meaning electric vehicle drivers can use contactless payment but do not have to download an app. It also seeks to make chargepoints more reliable and to force operators to provide a call helpline for drivers.
Drivers should also be able to find and access chargepoints easily, and the consultation calls on operators to make location data, power rating and price information more accessible for drivers.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manfacturers and Traders (SMMT), said, “We urgently need more charging points to accelerate our transition to electric motoring, so this announcement is welcome and a step in the right direction. As we race towards the phase out of sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, we need to accelerate the expansion of the electric vehicle charging network.
“An electric vehicle revolution will need the home and workplace installations this announcement will encourage, but also a massive increase in onstreet public charging and rapid charge points on our strategic road network. This will give drivers the confidence that recharging will become as easy as refuelling.”
What it’s worth
The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme grant provides a 75% contribution to the cost of one chargepoint and its installation. A grant cap is set at £350 per installation. The main requirement is that a person owns, leases, or has ordered a qualifying vehicle and has dedicated off-street parking at their property. A person may apply for two chargepoints at the same property if they have two qualifying vehicles.
Larger vans lift new sales out of doldrums
The UK new van market grew in the first month of the year against January 2020, according to the latest figures released from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Registrations rose 2% in January with 24,029 vehicles hitting UK roads as new models and deals drove fleet renewal, according to the SMMT.
Although the fluctuating nature of fleet renewal often impacts the first month of the year in particular, 2021 opened with the highest volume January since 1990, 10.5% ahead of fiveyear average.
Growth is expected for the LCV sector in 2021, but SMMT’s latest market outlook has been downgraded to reflect ongoing challenges. The forecast predicts LCV registrations to rise 17.5% to 343,850 by year end, down from earlier predictions of 375,000 vehicles.
In January, despite nearly all van segments experiencing a decline, larger vans weighing more than 2.53.5 tonnes saw 25.4% growth, driving overall monthly figures out of the red. Conversely, registrations of small vans weighing less than or equal to 2.0 tonnes halved (-50.1%), the market for medium vans weighing more than 2.02.5 tonnes declined by -16.2% and demand for new pickups and 4x4s fell by -25.8% and -30.6% respectively.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “January’s figures are welcome news, particularly after the difficult past year. Although one month’s performance does not full recovery make, the future must involve measures that can deliver long-term changes for the sector if we are to meet ambi-
tious targets and address both climate change and air quality goals. The fastest way to do this is by encouraging uptake of the latest low emission vehicles, regardless of fuel type, and business confidence remains vital for this transition.”
Emissions down
Latest SMMT analysis reveals that 2020 recorded the lowest figure for average CO2 emissions derived from LCVs, down -1.8% on 2019 to 162.8g/ km. January 2021 saw a rise of low emission LCVs, with battery electric vehicle (BEV) market share rising to 2.22% with 533 battery plug-in vans joining UK roads.
Meanwhile, 96.4% of all new vehicles registered are still powered by diesel.
