Socket money (From Bournemouth Echo)

Socket money

9:00am Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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HE'D only been in Number 10 for five minutes but David Cameron was quick to set out his vision for the coalition, declaring his government would be the “greenest ever”.

Quite a statement at the best of times but when faced with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, it seemed like a gargantuan task.

And in the face of swingeing cuts, the coalition have curbed their enthusiasm for said green ambitions, including a scaling back of plans to become the centre for the zero-carbon motor industry.

The Labour government had pledged to subsidise up to 46,000 electric cars last year, but Philip Hammond, the current Transport Secretary, has committed to just 8,000.

‘It’s worth bearing in mind that Britain gets the majority of its electricity from burning fossil fuels’

It’s bittersweet news for manufacturers of electric cars, particularly Nissan, which will launch its electric Leaf in Britain early next year.

Yet those who qualify from the subsidy, which will be available from January, will still pay a premium for going electric.

Nissan’s Leaf is expected to go on sale for around £28,000 (£23,000 after the discount), which is still around £10,000 more expensive than the five-door petrol or diesel equivalent.

Granted the vehicle will only cost a paltry 3p per mile to run, but you’ll have to stop to charge it every 70 miles.

This will make it great for the school run and shopping, but not so good if you fancy a surfing trip to Cornwall or, I don’t know, a cup of tea with your Gran who happens to live 71 miles away.

Unfortunately, the lack of plug-in points on Britain’s roads might prove to be something of an obstacle for people planning to go electric – there isn’t one to speak of in Dorset – indicating that more investment needs to go into infrastructure as well as subsidising buyers.

However, this uncharted territory has to be a step in the right direction right?

I mean, motoring at 3p a mile? Zero emissions cars? And a shift away from our dependency on oil?

Ferndown Town Council certainly thinks so. They bought one for their town lengthman, who uses it to help him carry out maintenance and gardening work. It has saved them money and helped them reduce their carbon footprint, although it hasn’t all been a smooth ride.

“We’ve been going now for nearly two years and the first year we had no problems but the second year we had a few – it lost its memory and had to be reprogrammed,” says Ian Jones, Ferndown’s town clerk.

“Other than that I would say it’s a reasonable vehicle.

“We were told it would save us money and I would subscribe to that because the cost of electricity in the building has not gone up dramatically.”

However, before consumers get carried away by the electric car’s eco credentials, it’s worth bearing in mind that Britain gets the majority of its electricity from burning fossil fuels.

And that’s not the only skeleton in its boot.

“Any moves towards reducing carbon emissions are to be welcomed, but climate change and peak oil are not the only threats we currently face,” says Theresa McManus of Poole Agenda 21, a local group promoting sustainable living. “Habitats are being destroyed as a result of our unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and by boosting the market for electric cars, the markets for mining the metals required for the batteries (eg lithium) will also be being boosted.”