Engineering news
Eight cities have been awarded a multi-million pound investment from government to increase uptake of electric vehicles. Bristol, London, Milton Keynes and Nottingham were named as ’Go Ultra Low Cities’ and the main benefactors of the £40 million scheme, with Dundee, the North East, Oxford and York sharing seed funding for EV specific projects.
Cities secured funding by pledging project ideas and as part of the initiative will deliver a roll-out of electric vehicle associated technology, such as rapid-charging hubs and street lighting that can double as charging points. Other proposals will give plug-in car owners further local benefits such as access to bus lanes in city centres.
The general public’s take up of electric cars has not been as fast as expected, but 2015 saw it pick up with electric car registrations up 94% compared to the previous year. The initiatives proposed by the Go Ultra Low Cities hope to boost plug-in car numbers by around 100,000 across the UK by 2020, with these cities acting as best practice case studies for other UK regions to replicate.
Among the successful cities’ bids, London is awarded £13 million to create ‘Neighbourhoods of the Future’, prioritising ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in several boroughs across the capital. Proposals include Low Emission Zones that offer parking and traffic priority to owners of plug-in vehicles.
Milton Keynes will receive £9 million to open a city centre Electric Vehicle Experience Centre, that will provide consumer advice and short-term vehicle loans. The city also proposes to open up all 20,000 parking bays for free to EVs, give plug-in vehicles the same priority at traffic lights as local buses, while also having access to bus lanes.
With a £7 million grant secured, Bristol will give ULEVs access to three carpool lanes in the city and introduce a plug-in car leasing scheme. Nottinghamshire and Derby will use £6 million of funding to install 230 charge points and offer plug-in owners discount parking, plus access to bus lanes in key routes across the city. The investment will also pay for a new business support programme letting local companies ‘try before they buy’.
The scheme is also providing £5 million of development funding for specific initiatives in Dundee, Oxford, York and North East regions. New commuter charging hubs in Dundee will open up links across the region for plug-in vehicle owners, while solar-canopied Park and Ride hubs in York will help reduce air pollution in and around the city.
Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, said: “We’re excited to see the innovative ideas put forward by each of the winning Go Ultra Low cities become reality over the coming months. The £40 million investment by government, combined with funds from each winning area, will transform the roads for residents in and around the Go Ultra Low cities.
“With thousands more plug-in cars set to be sold, cutting running costs for motorists and helping the environment, this investment will help to put the UK at the forefront of the global ultra-low emissions race.”
The Go Ultra Low Cities fund is just one element of a £600 million package of measures from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles by 2020, which also includes £400 million of guaranteed money for individual plug-in car grants, investment in low emission buses and taxis and R&D funding for innovative technology such as lighter vehicles and longer-lasting car batteries.