So far this year, more ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) have been registered than ever before, with 59% more people choosing pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars than in 2013. The success of the UK’s lowest-emitting vehicles is thanks, in part, to Go Ultra Low, a joint industry and government campaign to educate motorists on the benefits of ULEVs.
For comprehensive details on ultra-low emission vehicles, go to GoUltraLow.com, but in the meantime, here are five figures that help summarise what they’re all about.
A ULEV is defined as emitting no more than 75g/km CO2 from the tailpipe. Pure electric vehicles emit zero emissions from the tailpipe, while most plug-in hybrids and range-extended electric vehicles emit between 10-50g/km CO2.
A pure electric vehicle can be run for as little as two pence per mile, when charged at home. For reference, a typical conventionally-powered car will cost between 12p and 21p per mile to use.
Some ultra-low emission vehicles can travel up to 700 miles between charges, meaning you could go from St Ives to Inverness without stopping. Most pure electric vehicles can travel at least 100 miles between charges; impressive, considering that the average UK journey is less than seven miles long.
For just one pound, you can travel from London to Brighton in a pure electric vehicle. For the same price, you can also drive from Manchester to Liverpool.
There are an estimated 8,500 publically-accessible chargepoints across the UK, with that number continuing to grow as government implements £500 million investment in ultra-low emission vehicles up to 2020.
The Go Ultra Low campaign is currently exhibiting the BMW i3, Nissan LEAF and Renault Zoe pure electric vehicles at SMMT’s Westminster showroom. For more information, go to GoUltraLow.com.
