I’m not one to start rumours all too easily, but in the celebrity world, if two big names made the headlines together twice in one month, the paparazzi would have them married off in no time.
So, is there more than just a little bit of love in the air between Renault and Nissan as they make simultaneous announcements backing the Con-Dem’s extension of the Plug-in grant to commercial vehicles as well as to the domestic market? If the announcement had come from a Yoshi Blanc, I would have had grave concerns.
Instead it was the very Englishly named James Wright who made the statement for the Japanese manufacturers in his role as MD of Nissan Motor GB. On the back of FedEx running trials of the eNV200 in London, putting it through its paces on the capital’s streets, he was quick to endorse the governments commitment in tackling CO2 emissions in this manner. With the tax benefits, cheap van insurance and cost-effective fuel, perhaps Renault’s vision of UK roads becoming swiftly populated with electric modes of transport is a little less like a vision of The Jetsons as once believed.
From Wright’s statement, it would appear that Nissan played a very active role in lobbying parliament to get vans included in the discount for electric vehicles. The government have not only incorporated them in the savings, but acknowledging the fact that without encouraging cost-downs for vans in the heart of the capital the emission savings for cars alone would have been largely nullified, they’ve discounted e-vans even greater than they have e-cars.
It is perhaps a bitter-sweet pill to take as it was, at one point, thought that the LEZ would be a huge money spinner with commercial vehicles having to pay up to £100 per day for failing to comply to the Euro III legislation levels. But van drivers have cottoned on very quickly.
Towards the end of last year and the beginning of this, there was a huge rush in the used van market as models manufactured between certain recent dates automatically nipped in under the levels set. Not only did that damage new van sales but those seeking cheaper van insurance were able to find it, given that the vans they were driving were not pristine.
As the economy is still pulling the strings, yet the eyes of the world are wary of where feet tread carbon footprints, with electric vehicle sales flatly failing to take off last year as hoped, the government are not only seeing boosts to the economy go down the swanny as plug-in vehicles struggle to realise list price, but they’re having to subsidise the market, to boot. I bet they feel well e-fitted up!
If you’re thinking of plugging in to the government hand-outs with a view to cutting down on fuel outgoings this year, why not check out how much you could save on your e-van insurance with our quick and easy online form?