Registrations of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in UK sets new records, according to research.
Go Ultra Low research has revealed that in the UK there has been a sales increase of 386% from the first quarter of 2014 to the same period this year. Petrol Plug-in Hybrids have taken 67% of the ultra-low emission market.
The UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed that more than 41% of all alternatively-fuelled cars registered in the first quarter of 2015 qualified for the government’s plug-in car grant, up from 13% over the same period in 2014.
Top of the list was the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, accompanied by the Nissan LEAF and BMW i3.
Fleet and business ULEVs have seen a first quarter 421% increase. Hetal Shah, Head of Go Ultra Low, a joint initiative by government and the UK automotive industry, said: “The latest plug-in vehicle uptake figures prove that ultra-low emission cars and vans make sense for both private and business users, especially with the potential for fuel costs as low as two pence [three cents] a mile and reduced whole life running costs."
Electric vans are increasingly being adopted by businesses with volumes up 263 units on January-March 2014 - a growth rate of 353%.
The benefits of ULEVs include exemption from road tax and typical fuel savings of £660 a vehicle. There are now more than 25,000 ULEVs on UK roads.
Meanwhile, the European Environment Agency has revealed that in 2014 average new car emissions were 123.4g CO2/km compared to 186g CO2/km in 1995 - a 33.7% decrease over the period.