Nine electric cars get grant

The UK’s Department for Transport has announced the first nine models that will be eligible for its Plug-in Car Grant.

Beginning in January 2011, the scheme will see buyers able to claim 25% off the list price (up to a maximum of £5,000) per qualifying vehicle. The government has allocated £43M for the grants up until the end of March 2012, with a review of the programme’s viability beyond that date scheduled for January 2012.

The nine are:

Manufacturer Model First UK Deliveries Price
Mitsubishi i-MiEV January 2011 £23,990 including grant
smart fortwo electric drive January 2011 TBC. Available to lease in limited volumes from January 2011 ahead of full series production starting in 2012
Peugeot iOn January 2011 Only available via four year lease at £415 plus VAT per month
Nissan Leaf March 2011 £23,990 including grant
Tata Vista EV March 2011 TBC
Citroën CZero Early 2011 Only available via four year lease at £415 plus VAT per month
Vauxhall Ampera Early 2012 £28,995 including grant
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Early 2012 TBC. Currently only available to lease in limited volumes
Chevrolet Volt Early 2012 TBC

smart fortwo electric drive

Although it looks like there’ll be plenty for customers to choose from, the choice isn’t as wide as it first appears. The Peugeot and Citroën are essentially re-badged versions of the Mitsubishi, while the Ampera shares its underpinnings with the Volt.

Peugeot iOn

Business Minister Mark Prisk said: “Today’s news that motorists will be able to choose from at least nine cars under the consumer incentive scheme… will further reinforce the message that the UK is Europe’s leading producer of ultra low carbon vehicles."

Unfortunately the last part of that particular statement shouldn’t be taken at face value just yet. The only model on the list that is definitely confirmed for UK production is the Nissan Leaf. However, domestic manufacturing will only start in 2013, with cars being imported from Japan until then.

Meanwhile, GM Europe has yet to decide whether the Vauxhall Ampera will be built at Ellesmere Port in England, but it has confirmed that the Ampera’s UK price will be £28,995 after the Plug-in car Grant has been applied.

Vauxhall Ampera

A surprising inclusion is the Tata Vista EV, mainly because it’s an unknown quantity in the UK. Apparently it has been developed from the Indica Vista, the previous version of which was the basis for the almost universally unloved and derided CityRover.

Tata Indica Vista

Tata Motors European Technical Centre in Warwick has been involved in the project, and the rumour is that the Vista EV may be built in the UK. A location has yet to be disclosed so, unless there has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes, an on-sale date of March 2011 seems very optimistic unless the initial cars are going to be imported from India. And then there’s the slight issue of not having a dealer network to sell through. Maybe Tata will use the showrooms of its Jaguar and Land Rover subsidiaries?

Related posts:
Leaf is Car of the Year
US to get wider i-MiEV
SMMT Electric Car Guide
Mitsubishi i-MiEV costs
UK i-MiEV prices slashed
Electric car grants saved
PSA goes electric
The future’s electric

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