Latest news with #CleanerVehicleDiscount
BBC News
5 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Congestion Charge: Calls for TfL to keep electric car exemption
Transport for London (TfL) is facing calls to reconsider removing the electric vehicle exemption to the Congestion Baker, Labour's City Hall spokesperson for transport, said this would be "counter-productive" and create barriers for Londoners to move away from petrol and 100% Cleaner Vehicle Discount is scheduled to end on 25 December and will be replaced by a 25% discount for electric cars and a 50% reduction for larger electric say continuing the full discount "would lead to worsening traffic" and make the Congestion Charge less effective. The plans also include raising the Congestion Charge fee from £15 to £18 from 2 January means that people with an electric car would need to pay £13.50 every time they drive into central London, and traders with electric vans would pay £ changes are expected to raise an additional £40 million in the first year. 'We should be making it easier' In a letter to TfL, Ms Baker said: "Businesses need deliveries, as do hospitals and schools. Small businesses such as electricians and plumbers still need to enter the Congestion Charge zone to work."She warned that these plans would lead to small businesses returning to petrol or diesel Baker, who also chairs the London Assembly Transport Committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "If we want Londoners to switch to cleaner vehicles, we should be making it easier, not harder." The Conservatives have expressed support for Ms Baker's Turrell, environment spokesperson for the City Hall Conservatives, said: "Forcing electric vehicles to pay the Congestion Charge removes incentives from drivers and businesses from switching to greener vehicles." Ms Baker's letter also raised the issue of car clubs, saying they should be treated differently from private electric wrote: "Car clubs are a key tool to reduce need for car ownership and, as a result, reduce car journeys."Congestion charge policies should support car clubs as a tool to reduce unnecessary journeys and support a transition to cleaner vehicles."Car clubs are short-term car rental services which allow members to use locally-parked cars for individual journeys, meaning they can give up their cars whilst allowing for occasional car said the current proposals risked making it more difficult for these clubs to operate. A TfL spokesperson said in response: "Without the changes proposed, the Congestion Charge would become less effective, with an estimated additional 2,200 vehicles in the zone on an average weekday."We are proposing a new Cleaner Vehicle Discount for those who do not need to drive so they can still benefit from a discount if they drive an electric vehicle."They added that there will be a greater discount for "journeys that are harder to switch to walking, cycling or public transport", such as commercial also defended the decision by saying it was announced in December 2018, giving drivers seven years' advance notice. The Congestion Charge was introduced in central London in 2003, covering the area within the Inner London Ring includes the City of London and the West End, with 136,000 residents living inside the most recent increase to the fee was in June 2020, when it was raised from £11.50 to £15.
Auto Express
24-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Incoming Congestion Charge change is a £75 million 'cash grab'
Proposed changes to the London Congestion Charge are set to raise tens of millions of pounds per year, with electric car drivers set to bear the biggest burden. An Auto Express Freedom of Information request submitted to Transport for London uncovered that the removal of the EV exemption to the Congestion Charge is expected to generate as much as £75 million per year – or even more if the proposed changes to the Cleaner Vehicle Discount are not implemented. Advertisement - Article continues below Such changes mean that while EVs will, from 2 January 2026, be subject to the Congestion Charge, they will be able to receive a 25 per cent discount (50 per cent for vans and other LCVs) if registered through the TfL Auto Pay system. Nevertheless, if such changes to the CVD aren't implemented as planned, EV drivers would be forced to fork out the full amount, increasing the total amount paid by everyone to TfL to a startling £83 million. It doesn't end there, however, as TfL also plans to increase the daily Congestion Charge rate from £15 to £18 from the beginning of 2026; this, covering both electric and ICE cars, is forecast to rake in at least an additional £40 million over five years, rising to as much as £55million. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Combined, and taking into account overlaps with the aforementioned inclusion of EVs, TfL says it expects Congestion Charge revenue to grow from £240 million in the financial year 2024/25, to £320 million in 2026/27, essentially stuffing an extra £80 million into Sadiq Khan's pockets per year. Talking to Auto Express, a spokesperson for the AA said the association is 'bitterly disappointed that TfL is now picking on EV drivers,' pointing out how the 'incentive to get more people into zero emissions vehicles has now been swallowed up in a general cash grab.' 'London has done next to nothing to provide a park-and-ride facility on the outskirts of the city, but is happy to implement a Congestion Charge that makes people think twice about driving in,' the AA explained. This comes soon after TfL implemented tolls for the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels — something, figures suggest, has reduced traffic by roughly 5,000 drivers per day. The Department for Transport has also decided to increase the Dart Charge Dartford Crossing toll by £1 in September; Transport Secretary, Lillian Greenwood, said current traffic levels at the crossing 'are well in excess of [its] design capacity, causing delays, congestion and journey disruption to drivers on the M25 and a range of knock-on impacts for local communities'. Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express ? We'll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too . Find a car with the experts MG4 and MGS5 EV prices slashed in reply to Government Electric Car Grant MG4 and MGS5 EV prices slashed in reply to Government Electric Car Grant In order to boost sales, MG is announcing its own a £1,500 grant for some of its EVs Roll over diesel: EVs are now doing the big mileage in the UK Roll over diesel: EVs are now doing the big mileage in the UK The average UK electric car now covers more than 10,000 miles per year, a similar amount to the average diesel. Dacia's baby EV due in 12 months with a tiny £15k price tag Dacia's baby EV due in 12 months with a tiny £15k price tag Dacia's new model will be developed in double-quick time, and it'll be built in Europe to avoid China tariffs
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Don't let London slip a gear in its electric vehicle uptake
London has, literally, led the charge on conversion to electric vehicles (EVs). There are more EVs per head in the capital than elsewhere in the UK, and indeed most other major cities around the world, and the infrastructure to support them is being rapidly rolled out. This historic shift, currently running at about 3,000 EV registrations a month, is playing a vital role in cleaning up London's once unpleasantly polluted air and will help the capital make progress towards, and hopefully hit, the Mayor's 2030 net zero target. By last year, EVs accounted for more than a third of new cars being registered in the capital, and more than 5.4 per cent of cars on the road. London also hosts 30 per cent of the UK's public charging points, while 61 per cent of its drivers own or are considering an EV for their next car — compared to a UK average of 38 per cent. But despite all these successes, there are reasons to worry. And it is not just that the pace of EV uptake in London has started to slow. There are also signs that many Londoners are being left behind in the EV revolution, with ownership concentrated in the wealthier communities of the capital. A report this month from analysts and policy consultants Stonehaven looks at the reasons why the uptake of EV might be slowing, particularly among less affluent drivers. It also makes three key recommendations — measures it hopes can re-energise London's enthusiasm for private electric transport. Crucially the report, authored by a team led by former Department for Transport official Michael Dnes, urges Transport for London (TfL) to extend what it describes as 'a uniquely powerful incentive for EV adoption in London, the Cleaner Vehicle Discount (CVD)'. The CVD allows drivers of fully electric cars and vans, and the much smaller number of hydrogen cell powered vehicles, to enter the central London congestion charge zone (CCZ) for free, once they have paid a £10 registration fee. All other drivers must pay the daily charge of £15, which is set to rise to £18 in the New Year. But the full CVD concession ends on Christmas Day this year — an unwelcome present for thousands of London drivers. According to a TfL consultation published this week it will replaced by a 50% discount for van drivers and a 25% discount to car drivers. That will still leaving them paying £9 and £13.50 a day respectively to enter the CCZ area. TfL argues that as the numbers of EVs on London's roads grows, ever more drivers are entitled to enter central London for free. That in turn is undermining one of the very purposes of the congestion charge, namely reducing congestion. But as the report puts it: 'In 2025, London faces a choice about its electric future. It needs to keep up the momentum of electrification to secure its position as an EV world leader. 'Decisions made over the coming months — some as soon as this summer — will determine the future of electrification and London's environmental progress, and whether Londoners are included in that transition or not.' Although the CVD has been particularly successful in persuading private hire vehicle drivers to switch to EV options, there is still a long way to go when it comes to the vans that keep the West End and the City supplied with deliveries. Latest TfL data shows that 89 per cent of van miles in the CCZ are still diesel. As well as keeping the CVD going into next year and beyond, the report makes two other major policy recommendations. It says TfL needs to ensure all of London enjoys equal access to affordable EV charging. As things stand the 'haves' — London residents able to charge an EV at home — can access rates as low as 7p/KWh. But the majority of 'have nots' — unable to charge at home and reliant on public charging points — can face rates seven times higher at around 52p/KWh for slow charging and as much as 80p/KWh for rapid charging, costing them hundreds of pounds more a year as a result. The 'EV inequality gap' is particularly pronounced between home owners and renters who are far less likely to have access to a charge point. To counter this, Stonehaven suggests London boroughs should prioritise planning applications for gully charging and charging arms, to make cross-pavement charging accessible to more residents. It also urges City Hall to lead on developing 'social leasing' schemes targeting key workers and low-income families to help them spread costs and switch to cheaper EV models earlier. In France, a similar scheme has made subsidised leases available to households in the bottom half of incomes who drive substantial distances or live more than 15km from their workplace. Stonehaven believes these measures together can cut air pollution in central London by eight per cent for particulates, and 11 per cent for nitrogen oxides; save families without driveways an average of £600 a year, and professional drivers as much as £5,000 annually; and 'make EVs the norm for London's roads, regardless of borough or bank balance'. It warns some EV drivers are even considering switching back to petrol or diesel-fuelled internal combustion engine vehicles because of the extra costs. Private hire vehicle drivers who face the biggest increase in annual congestion charge bills — perhaps up to £5,000 or so — may be particularly prone to 'EV remorse', according to the report. Stonehaven's modelling suggests the EV share of mileage among private hire vehicles in central London could drop by as much as 27 per cent if the CVD is scrapped. One driver who participated in a focus group used to help draw up the report's findings said, 'They waived the congestion charge for EVs before, and now they're saying we'll have to pay. They can change their mind whenever they want.' Another said, 'I saved £32,000 in six years driving an electric vehicle.' A small business owner also participating in one of the focus groups put it even more starkly: 'If you take away all the financial benefits, it's just about ethics — and a lot of people will choose to feed their kids over saving the planet.' The Stonehaven report argues that the stakes for TfL, and for London as a whole, are high — and time is pressing. It is just seven months until the CVD is turned off, still long enough for a U-turn. But perhaps only just. As the report concludes and this paper agrees: 'If London acts now, it won't just meet its climate commitments — it will set the pace for cities across the UK and beyond, showing that the future of driving is electric.' Leading The Charge is supported by commercial partners which share the project's aims but our journalism remains editorially independent
