District switches on to electric cars

Electric car technology is advancing rapidly, and the latest figures suggest that West Lindsey is getting on board the green revolution.

From October 2017 to September 2018, the number of registered plug-in vehicles in the area increased by 54%.

The latest Department for Transport statistics show the number of registered electric or plug-in hybrid cars, vans and micro cars called quadricycles in West Lindsey for each quarter of the year.

From July 2017 to September 2017 there were 112 electric vehicles.

However by the latest quarter, from July to September 2018, that figure had grown to 172, a jump of 60.

That’s lower than the increase of 1,770 in Peterborough, which has the highest percentage of plug-in vehicles of any local authority in the United Kingdom.

But back in 2013 in West Lindsey, there were just ten electric cars, which shows the progress the industry has made in a short time.

Over the past few years manufacturers have increased the range of their vehicles, and prices have lowered, helping fuel the rise in environmentally friendly vehicles.

The latest Nissan Leaf, the UK’s most popular entirely electric car, can now travel 235 miles before it needs to be recharged, 80 miles more than the previous version.

Over the next year, BP will install charging points at its petrol stations, following Shell’s roll out in 2017. Dyson has also said it plans to release an electric car by 2020.

One advantage electric car users have over other vehicles is that they do not have to pay road tax, as they do not release any emissions.

Electricity is also far cheaper than petrol and diesel, and green drivers have the satisfaction of helping save the planet.