Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial incentives the Government is offering to increase the uptake of electric vehicles.

We are investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021 to support the market for Ultra Low Emission cars, vans, HGVs, taxis and motorcycles, and schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces, and on residential streets. This funding also includes grants for research to support the development and deployment of ultra low emission technologies. Government grants for plug-in vehicles will be available until at least 2020, reducing the upfront purchase price of electric vehicles We stated in our Road to Zero strategy that consumer incentives in some form will continue to play a role beyond 2020.Purchasers of ultra-low emission vehicles also receive other benefits, including: lower tax rates, and grants towards the installation of chargepoints. HMT recently announced plans to accelerate the shift to zero emission cars by removing company car tax in 2020-21, 1% in 2021-22 before returning to the planned 2% rate in 2022-23 – a significant tax saving for employees and employers. A number of local authorities also provide additional incentives such as free parking or exemption from the congestion charge. We have also supported the uptake of ultra low emission buses through the Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme.