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Government investment in green cars 'not brave enough'

While the government’s announcement that it will be giving financial incentives to encourage people to buy green cars has been welcomed, some groups have suggested that it is not enough.

It was reported yesterday that some £43 million will be put towards giving people £5,000 incentives for buying ultra-low carbon cars from January 2011, reducing the cost of such vehicles by 25 percent.

However, the Labour government had originally pledged to allocate £230 million of funding to provide point-of-purchase price reductions for consumers buying electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

According to information portal WhatGreenCar, the coalition government has shied away from committing to a high level of investment which would have been real boost for the low carbon car market.

Ben Lane, managing director of WhatGreenCar, said that the £43 million which has been pledged will subsidise around 8,000 vehicles, compared to the 40,000 cars the original amount would have helped fund.

“I don’t think it’s quite a missed opportunity; I think [the government] aren’t being brave enough. They’re not cowards, but I feel the coalition isn’t being brave enough in investing in our green industrial base,” he said.