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And when we say green, we mean in both colour and environmentally! It’s recently been announced that the government are looking to to launch a consultation on the introduction of green number plates. This will close on 14th January 2020. The new number plates will be used for zero emission vehicles and offer benefits on cheaper or free parking. How will this affect your business and customers?
Having previously been trialled in Ontario, Canada, electric vehicle owners were given incentives such as free access to toll lanes. The country then experienced an increase in electric vehicle registrations.
What’s the thinking behind this concept?
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has stated that green number plates will help everyone in the identification and increase in the number of electric cars on our roads. He suggests an increase in awareness alongside benefits will result in a faster movement towards a zero emission revolution.
Zero Emission Strategy
With the UK at the forefront of such efforts the strategy aims to improve air quality and looking to reach net zero emissions by the year 2050. With a £1.5 billion investment it looks as though the country is well on its way to achieving this. Met with positivity from all angles, much of the general public are already fully behind the strategy.
What exactly with the new number plates look like?
Don’t panic, it’s not set to be solid green. Currently the preferred option is to add a dash of green to the left hand side. This means automatic number plate recognition scanners will still be able to read numbers successfully.
Incentives
Whilst it’s interesting to learn about potential free parking it does beg the question as to when will this end? It can after all, only last for so long otherwise once the UK is completely emission free, parking across the country will be entirely free. What we need to understand is how long will such benefits last and is it worth switching to an electric car sooner rather than later.
The Government has Received Some Criticism
Despite high levels of backing, a report delivered by the Science & Technology Committee in August 2019 suggested a lack of policies in meeting zero emissions by 2050. This report also claims the UK is not even on track in meeting the legally binding targets as set for 2023 to 2032. Comments such as this do leave the general public in quite a dilemma in terms of choosing the best way forwards.
Green number plates. Will they come to fruition or remain purely an idea with the government?
