Electric Cars Could Get Green Number Plates ‘To Boost Sales’

The UK government is to hold a consultation on whether to introduce green number plates for electric cars, in a bid to create a smug-factor people want to buy into
Electric Cars Could Get Green Number Plates ‘To Boost Sales’

Electric cars in the UK could be fitted with green number plates to ‘raise awareness’ of battery-powered propulsion and help create more consumer demand.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that three options are being looked at; a totally green number plate, a green band on the left where the blue EU standard national identifier badge used to be, or a small green circle in the same place, ringed in white. Both number plates would bear the same changes, but if the band or circle are chosen, the white front and yellow rear plate design will stay.

Electric Cars Could Get Green Number Plates ‘To Boost Sales’

The idea is both to give local authorities a way of seeing which vehicles are allowed to use any special permissions like access to bus lanes, and to create an extra layer of desire among drivers to get one for themselves. Y’know, to join the special club that you’ll never truly be part of because, y’know, you didn’t buy an EV before they were cool.

Inspiration for the move comes from Canada, where EV drivers in Ontario could use all toll lanes and car-share lanes for free. The area saw an upturn in EV registrations, so it’s thought that similar incentives could work in the UK.

Electric Cars Could Get Green Number Plates ‘To Boost Sales’

The RAC isn’t too impressed, though. Its head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, said:

“While the sentiment seems right, there are question marks as to whether drivers would see this as a badge of honour or alternatively it could foster resentment among existing drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles.

“On the face of it, drivers we’ve questioned don’t seem too impressed – only a fifth think it’s a good idea and the majority said the number plates wouldn’t have the effect of making them any more likely to switch to an electric vehicle.”

Pressure is mounting on the government to provide financial incentives to owners of older, more polluting cars, in a similar way to the fabulously expensive ‘scrappage’ scheme of the late 2000s. Campaigners including Friends of the Earth are pushing for it, and the RAC is right behind the idea. Mr Lyes continued:

“Given their relatively high upfront costs, only those drivers that could afford to make the switch to an electric vehicle would benefit [from bus lane incentives] – leaving the vast majority who still rely on petrol and diesel cars losing out.

“We continue to believe that the best way of encouraging drivers to ‘go electric’ is for the government to be providing the right financial incentives at the point of purchase, and investing in better charging infrastructure.”

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Comments

RWB Dude

That is so stupid lol

10/22/2019 - 14:39 |
3 | 0
AlecHuntsman

whether it would i don’t know, but i don’t really see a real reason to NOT do this, not like it would negatively impact anything

10/22/2019 - 16:00 |
0 | 0

I dont want green plates

10/22/2019 - 21:02 |
0 | 0
Twopoint0

In Austria they already get green letters on the plates

10/22/2019 - 18:09 |
0 | 0
Ian-196!

Green suggests they don’t harm the environment. But I imagen green plates would work because plenty people buy Electric cars to be smug and not for environmental reasons.

10/22/2019 - 21:07 |
0 | 0
Portner

At least uk is looking how to find a solution for poor people too. Here in pari… (piss of you little vegan parisian who never had seen the real france) Euuh i mean the entire france, we have
few troubles, everything is far away not always in ev range, and even if i had one, i cant charge it at my workplace, and even if i could and range would be correct, i cant buy one, i moatly buy rhd cars from uk cause prices are way lower than here.
And last point, why does an ev need leds everywhere, big screens everywhere, electric assist everywhere ? Wouldnt it make more sence to have analog speedo, manual windows, no screen f*cking bigfer than my tv, all that to extend battery life and range.
I know the superiority of electeic engines when it comes to torque, so why cant we have an electric sports car without ANY electric gadget, only pure power AND range ?

10/23/2019 - 06:06 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

From an EV driver - this is a sh*t idea.

10/23/2019 - 07:31 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Brilliant

10/23/2019 - 12:49 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Thanks now you can see idiots from a couple of miles away!

10/23/2019 - 18:46 |
1 | 0
ᴶᵘˢᵗᴬᴿᵃⁿᵈᵒá

Think about it tho,

Literally organic license plates

10/24/2019 - 14:38 |
0 | 0
Hunter Mei

In China we get green plates for EV cars, and lots people dont like the green plate and go ahead buy a normal petrol car!

10/28/2019 - 17:18 |
0 | 0