As the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) analyses responses to a consultation on how further Government cash may be spent to support the uptake on low emission vehicles, Alphabet’s Jon Burdekin argues that the case for EVs has never been stronger.

He commented: ‘Government assistance is certainly helping to stimulate interest in EVs, with the grants applicable to both cars and vans. While we do hear occasional concerns from customers about what will happen if and when Government incentives and subsidies are removed, the overall response to EVs from the corporate and public sectors is positive.

‘Indeed, recent figures from the SMMT showed an increase of more than 530% in the volume of pure electric car registrations in the first two months of 2014, as compared with the same period in 2013. With a focus on encouraging green behaviour and a strong emphasis on reducing air pollution, the continuation of grants to encourage further electric vehicle take up, along with investment in the charging infrastructure is needed to encourage more drivers and fleet managers to explore EVs with confidence.’

Burdekin concluded: ‘It will be interesting to see where the Government chooses to apply incentives in order to achieve maximum return on investment. However, it is encouraging that they already seem to recognise the importance that the fleet sector will have in shaping the future of EVs.’