Would you give up your car for £3,000?
In a new government proposal to cut emissions and ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, drivers could be given cash in return for swapping their car for more environmentally friendly travel options like electric scooters and bicycles. It will form an essential part of the government’s go green plan.
The scheme will be particularly prevalent in more built-up areas and offer motorists ‘credits’ to be used on alternative modes of transport, like buses, bicycles and electric scooters.
The government hopes that this scheme will reduce car dependency and help the country gradually move towards the end goal in 2030.
It is thought that a trial roll-out of the scheme will first take place in the West Midlands before moving further afield.
Candidates were asked to volunteer to test out the new scheme, and West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, has been pleased with the uptake thus far: ‘We have a number of candidates lined up in Coventry following a public appeal for volunteers last year and are putting processes in place to allow them to scarp their own cars in exchange for transport credits later this Spring.’
The trial will be part of a £22 million initiative to improve the way travel happens within this area, with an overall goal of significantly reducing emissions by promoting the use of congestion-easing modes of transport.
The plan has been well received by some organisations with the chief executive of Sustrans cycling and walking charity, Xavier Brice, stating that: ‘It is great to see local authorities considering new ways to reduce car dependency, including mobility credit… better, more affordable, public transport is critical to combatting air pollution and carbon emissions.’
However, others feel that the initiative is an unusual one, with concerns raised about the impracticality and wasted efforts.
AA president, Edmund King, suggested that: ‘The money probably would be better spent on providing electric charging points for those without off-street parking rather than giving mobility credits for services that people will use when they need to or feel safe to.’
His comment could refer to the recent announcement from Jaguar that their vehicles will move to pure-electric within the next five years. Other car companies are following suit, with Ford declaring that they will sell only electric cars in Europe in 2030, in line with the government’s 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.
The comment also refers to concerns that local councils are falling behind with implementing necessary measures like installing enough EV charging points to accommodate the electric shift.
While the cash for cars initiative may have good intentions, it seems it may be unnecessary amongst the changes that are already taking place.
[Image Source: Shutterstock, February 2021]
What is the government’s go green plan?
All of these initiatives feed into the pledge that Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has begun to lay out over the last few years, in what experts are calling an ‘ambitious’ target.
In a video addressing the need for a move towards greener living, Mr Johnson set out that the UK is ‘going further and faster than ever before with a new target to cut emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030.’
He hopes that this target will set the country ‘on course to hit net zero by 2050’ and stressed his pride in the fact that the UK was the ‘first economy to pass a law requiring us to reach net zero.’
While every step taken towards making this challenging target a reality will eventually have a positive impact on the environment overall, there are already many hurdles to jump.
It was revealed recently that a large proportion of drivers are reluctant to make the switch to electric vehicles because of impracticality caused by lack of charging points within their area, which could impact the efficacy of the 2030 petrol and diesel ban.
There have also been concerns raised about the number of electric vehicles that could be on the roads compared to the amount of specialist mechanics trained to work on them, with just 5% of mechanics currently being able to do so.
The uncertainty over the practicality of initiatives already in place has left some organisations questioning whether this new cash for cars initiative will prove to be worthwhile or not.
How would you feel about giving up your car for cash? Do you think the go green initiatives in place so far are working?
Let us know in the comments.
£3000.00 to give up a car.
What a farce, many of the families around here have more than one car, so getting rid of one car for £3000.00 means they will still use the other cars.
How on earth are you to ensure that this will not be abused, of course we do not live in CHINA.
I think it’s wrong to put up petrol prices it’s not fair it should go down in price but pubs alcohol is going down & no tax I don’t think that’s fair for petrol petrol should go down in price & alcohol should go up so please please do something about this
Thank’s Robert
BOTH should go down in price DRASTICALLY
I would like to comment on your post, but it is unintelligible, ungrammatical gibberish.
LOL…. Guessing written on a small phone. May be the writer had poor eye’s
Ungrammatical but not unintelligible. The key thing is that we should pay for our road usage through fuel costs in order to ‘save the planet’, and in this respect our correspondent has got it wrong.
I wouldn’t give up my car, my independence to travel, for transport credits, no.
I’m appalled by these Draconian, heavy-handed measures, aiming to bring us to zero carbon emissions by 2050 and electric only vehicles.
Train more mechanics to be able to service and repair electric engines, provide more charging points, make electric cars as much fun as diesel or petrol cars are to drive, and maybe we’ll all have a change of heart and be dying to drive a feeble electric car. But we aren’t at the moment.
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
good idea if you have an old car worth less than the three thousand but how would they check whether you just take the money and then use it to buy a newer car
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
electric vehicles, from a mechanics point of view, arent that much different. sure they have to be more cautious when working on the electrical high voltage system (high amps as well as volts) BUT if the electric propulsion is as reliable as is CLAIMED, then working on them is a non issue! its only when (not if) the batteries fail and people cant manage with even LESS range than they have already (and SLOOOWWW charging times) that theyre going to be an issue for mechanics. or at least the few that will still be working in the trade (cant modify electric motors like you can engines, so less work there, supposedly less servicing, ut they will still need brake checks etc but there SHOULD be far less work for mechanics)
It’s about the charging time and its increase in length as your battery ages. Then the excessive price for charging. The price of a new EV is X2 of a normal car. (teslas are (x5 a normal car) £70k…. a base model3 cheaper but can be £35k to £70k. The 30k Tesla model is basic and low range. Then the need to sign up to a number of charging companies that want a monthly fee.
What do you think smart meters will do in the future? They can tell if you are charging an EV or boiling a kettle. I suspect (‘conspiracy theory’, they will put a tax on charging an EV from home – it’s possible if you have a smart meter). Once they move us all off Gas cars to EV cars…this will come into a viable option.
After you use the EV and wish to sell on, the battery may be failing or reduced to an extent that means you get very little residual value for it.
Tesla is the top EV company and even they have started to slow charging rates on old Tesla’s. From 30min to 80% to 1.5hrs to 80%. I know my next door has one and is always unhappy. It’s ok if you can charge at home but the UK has cold spells that drain the battery to 50% usable. Then if you put the heating on you reduce that further.
To get back home you need to charge it at work, takes a lot of planning. The concept is good but practically any other company other than TESLA superchargers makes it a right of fuss to get power in the EV.
Think of this….If your gas tank was 100% full and you came back and it is now 80%. You would think you had a hole in your gas Tank. With EV’s this is the situation. You can have an EV car standing for 2 weeks and can start out at 80% charge and after two weeks can be 20% left. Imagine going on a holiday and coming back to the car after the holiday to discover you can get home. Fantume drain is a big issue with EV;s as they have to heat or cool the battery even when it is not moving and this could flatten the battery and you will have to pay by the nose to get it towed. As EV’s heavy they can not simply be towed like a normal Gas car. The EV has to be put in two-mode and towed by a professional EV tow company. I’ve seen when TESLA’s have gone completely flat and the computer will not turn on to put it into Two-mode. The doors will not even open…Crazy or what?
That said if you are careful and plan well you can make it work with an EV, but why would you want to do that, when to charge it cost almost the same as filling a small gas tank.
I run a VW golf oil burner. It is 18yrs old. I get 60mpg and it costs about £72 to fill up). If I drive it efficiently I can get 450 to 600 miles. Yes, I would love a new car, but the flexibility my old car offers can not be met by an EV. That said Birmingham is now implementing congestion zones where my car can not go. but then you would be mad to drive into Birmingham and find an expensive parking spot. Better to take the train or bus in.
I don’t know, my be I am just to old and just can not see the Ev benefits. The TV propaganda is strong, but if you scratch the surface there is sooooo many drawbacks. That said I may end up with one as the government is forcing us out of our gas cars. They are using a stick to hit us with and a carrot for the EV cars. Public transport is a joke. Fuel goes up, and Train prices follow. Then they get the inflation increase also.
If in dought hoit the Gas car driver with a stick and more Tax’s…we are the go to group to get more money. This alone may drive me out of my car into an EV.
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
Ash i have worked in the power industry and we dont have the capacity to charge EV if more people start buying them…we have had a near miss this winter never mind 40 million vehicles plugging in over night the whole thing is a goverment spin as was the frist country to pass a law that by 2050 we will be Zero.
The main polluters are HG and public transport…why doesnt the goverment invest in research for these modes of transport first then progress to personal transport later. Theres more pullution from central heating boiler than cars but its never mentioned as alternatives are so costly …..it is a shambles….this shambolic goverment havent got a clue.
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
This is fine for the fit, the able bodied, those that have no luggage,no weekly shop, work tools etc and have a reliable fast transit system but what about the others? Cheap park and ride plus free at home parking so you catch the bus or tram or train from near your home would work better, unfortunately this infrastructure isn’t in place and parking charges are a safe cash cow for councils. There will always be a need for cars, in 10yrs most will be less polluting so where does that leave this policy and as usual the the low income homes will be hit hardest, Why doesn’t every airport have a rail/tram or tube link so people using the airport dont need their cars. This would be a better use of tax than HS2. Car journeys for holiday makers to the airport could be slashed.
Agree. Every airport should have a train station.
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
Marked down for ‘copy & paste’, especially when it’s not applicable.
The shift toward electric vehicles is the usual mixture of wish list and totally unrealistic goals for acheiving the stated objective. The only way that changing to all el ectric vehicles will happen is if a large proportion of Motorist / Car owner users give up their use of private vehicles.
Perhaps some of the billions being wasted and squandered on HS2 could be used in the provision of facilities for electric vehicles – but it wont be!
Kevin, I agree totally with you, but may I just add something to your comments? Even if there are multiple charging points for electric cars, the actual charging time will be considerably longer that filling a tank with Petrol / Diesel, so a serious issue for those that need to recharge on, say, a long journey. When people ask me my views I make sure I include that point on the basis that there won’t be a mass take up of such vehicles until a recharge can be accomplished in the same time as splashing 40 litres into the tank. Price per charge will also be a factor.
I think if it took about 30 – 40 minutes people could plan the journey to coincide with a coffee or a snack
Disagree. Me Mountain Man. Don’t need food. Need time. Electric equals no time. But that’s me, others will disagree.
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
What stops electric cars being widespread is the high cost of them, and the limited range. You need at least 300 miles.
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
This may work in towns and cities but can not work in rural areas
So, what are roads for?
In towns it seems to be for children to play in
Haha. Good comment.
Oh it’s coming. Road charging was talked about 5yrs ago and they almost got it in. They veered away from that. But another attempt is on the works. It will be road tax + some roads charging to drive on. or all roads charged to drive on and minimal road tax, which will go up slowly. Like boiling frogs.
Best solution seems to be to include the charge in the cost of oil-based fuel or electicity used to power vehicles. I see no need to target specific roads: if they are busy, the revenue will come from what I have already described. But please be kind to frogs.
Another half baked idea. Is this £3,000 per year ?
If so how long will it stay at that level ?
A better idea would be to subsidise some of the higher mileage per charge electric cars
£3k every year may be worth giving up your car. But if it is a one-off payment then no.
£3k for an average family of 2+2.4 kids. You will easily burn through that £3k in the first year. Than what? Go back to the car?
It’s about the charging time and its increase in length as your battery ages. Then the excessive price for charging. The price of a new EV is X2 of a normal car. (teslas are (x5 a normal car) £70k…. a base model3 cheaper but can be £35k to £70k. The 30k Tesla model is basic and low range. Then the need to sign up to a number of charging companies that want a monthly fee.
What do you think smart meters will do in the future? They can tell if you are charging an EV or boiling a kettle. I suspect (‘conspiracy theory’, they will put a tax on charging an EV from home – it’s possible if you have a smart meter). Once they move us all off Gas cars to EV cars…this will come into a viable option.
After you use the EV and wish to sell on, the battery may be failing or reduced to an extent that means you get very little residual value for it.
Tesla is the top EV company and even they have started to slow charging rates on old Tesla’s. From 30min to 80% to 1.5hrs to 80%. I know my next door has one and is always unhappy. It’s ok if you can charge at home but the UK has cold spells that drain the battery to 50% usable. Then if you put the heating on you reduce that further.
To get back home you need to charge it at work, takes a lot of planning. The concept is good but practically any other company other than TESLA superchargers makes it a right of fuss to get power in the EV.
Think of this….If your gas tank was 100% full and you came back and it is now 80%. You would think you had a hole in your gas Tank. With EV’s this is the situation. You can have an EV car standing for 2 weeks and can start out at 80% charge and after two weeks can be 20% left. Imagine going on a holiday and coming back to the car after the holiday to discover you can get home. Fantume drain is a big issue with EV;s as they have to heat or cool the battery even when it is not moving and this could flatten the battery and you will have to pay by the nose to get it towed. As EV’s heavy they can not simply be towed like a normal Gas car. The EV has to be put in two-mode and towed by a professional EV tow company. I’ve seen when TESLA’s have gone completely flat and the computer will not turn on to put it into Two-mode. The doors will not even open…Crazy or what?
That said if you are careful and plan well you can make it work with an EV, but why would you want to do that, when to charge it cost almost the same as filling a small gas tank.
I run a VW golf oil burner. It is 18yrs old. I get 60mpg and it costs about £72 to fill up). If I drive it efficiently I can get 450 to 600 miles. Yes, I would love a new car, but the flexibility my old car offers can not be met by an EV. That said Birmingham is now implementing congestion zones where my car can not go. but then you would be mad to drive into Birmingham and find an expensive parking spot. Better to take the train or bus in.
I don’t know, my be I am just to old and just can not see the Ev benefits. The TV propaganda is strong, but if you scratch the surface there is sooooo many drawbacks. That said I may end up with one as the government is forcing us out of our gas cars. They are using a stick to hit us with and a carrot for the EV cars. Public transport is a joke. Fuel goes up, and Train prices follow. Then they get the inflation increase also.
If in dought hoit the Gas car driver with a stick and more Tax’s…we are the go to group to get more money. This alone may drive me out of my car into an EV.
You are very well informed. Are you an electrical engineer? I respect your comments as a scientist (chemist) myself. And I suspect the hand of Big Brother as Mr Johnson has commented.
Driving on roads will soon have a mile/p charge. It’s coming. Mark my words.
Oh it’s coming. Road charging was talked about 5yrs ago and they almost got it in. They veered away from that. But another attempt is on the works. It will be road tax + some roads charging to drive on. or all roads charged to drive on and minimal road tax, which will go up slowly. Like boiling frogs.
I thought I had done (site said ‘Comment’). May the Force be with you. Live long and prosper. And still be kind to amphibians.
New Electric cars are expensive at the moment, very expensive. Manufacturers are launching high end models first!…why?
There needs to be a mass market of used electric cars for everybody to switch over. People on low incomes cannot afford these high end cars.
You are spot on. All the infrastructure needs to be in place NOW!
Any initiative aimed at reducing the number of vehicles on the UK’s overly congested roads is welcome, but of course trying to change the overwhelming car culture is a huge challenge, and will inevitable invite much negative or even hostile response. But to do nothing and simply let the problems caused by car culture continue is simply not an option. Take a trip to Switzerland or Holland or one of several other more enlightened countries and see for yourselves what a more balance, less car and lorry-centric philosophy achieves. Indeed, I would recommend that everyone with any responsibility for making transport-related decisions do exactly that, all-expenses paid as long as they only use walking, cycling and/or public transport as a means of transportation during their stay.
I was about to say, what do we do without oil-driven transport, but the above is a sane response. Certainly encourage renewables, but make the infrastructure resilient, regarding all-electric cars and lorries and so on. There is a problem with bad weather and cyclists and walkers trying to do their shopping, but that might encourage local businesses to engage with supermarkets, were the former to be supported.
One thing easily overlooked is insurance.
If you give up your car, you give up your insurance. If you later decide to get another car and take out insurance, you will lose your no-claims discount and have to start building it up all over again. Over the 9 years it takes to earn the maximum discount it will cost a lot of money.
A laudable idea, but what about those of us who are pensioners. Walking is difficult and many of us bought deisel cars at the goverments direction. We cannot ride bycycles and cannot change cars to electric, due to cost. We are becomming a forgotten generation!