Figures
Sustainable Transport
UK to invest £500m to
support green transport 5
By Ella Purdy
to
T he Government isboost
invest £500m to
the ultra low emission
vehicle industry and help
drivers both afford and feel
confident using electric cars,
the Deputy Prime Minister
announced this week.
The investment of £500m
between 2015 and 2020 will create
jobs, reduce emissions and set the
agenda for the industry, towns and
cities, and for motorists, with the
aim of helping Britain remain at
the forefront of green technology.
Local areas coming up with the
most ambitious plans can win a
share of £35m to make the leap to
becoming ultra low. Winning cities
could, for example, incentivise
drivers of green cars by letting them
use bus lanes or allowing them to
park for free. Additional funding of
£50m will be available for areas to
invest in cleaner taxis and buses.
The Government also confirmed
Funding boost for EV charging grid
it will invest £100m in research and
development in ULEV to cement
the UK’s position as a leader in the
development of these technologies.
The UK’s automotive industry has
undergone a renaissance in recent
years and now has the potential to
emerge as a world leader in the
development, design and
manufacture of green vehicles.
In addition, a £32m funding
boost for charging infrastructure
will include plans to install rapid
chargepoints across the ‘M’ and
‘A’ road network by 2020. Rapid
chargepoints mean a car can be
charged in as little as 20 minutes.
Other key elements include:
• At least £200m for continuation of
the plug-in car grant, with the grant
cap remaining at £5,000 per car
until a review in 2017, or the first
50,000 vehicles, whichever is sooner
• £20m for ULEV taxis
• £30m for low emission buses
• £31m for other ULEV types
including vans
• £4 million for HGV gas refuelling
infrastructure.
Whitehall is also working on other
elements of support, including the
support for hydrogen fuel cell
vehicles, and expects to publish
further details later in the year.
Full details of each scheme will
be published by autumn 2014,
with some schemes opening for
applications soon after.
$2.7bn
Total raised worldwide in
2012 by crowdfunding,
increasingly being used
to fund UK community
renewable energy projects
4.7m
Tons of wood pellets
exported from North
America in 2013 – up more
than 250% in two years
Petrol giant braced for consumer
boycott after buying Arctic oil
By Anna Wright
French oil company Total has
purchased the first-ever
shipment of offshore Arctic oil
from the Russian energy giant
Gazprom, Greenpeace says.
The environmental group
accused Total of hypocrisy,
highlighting a previous pledge by
the firm’s chief executive to avoid
Arctic oil drilling due to the dangers
of a major spill. Already calls for
a consumer boycott are spreading
on soc