No Grants for Autogas
Dr Stephen Ladyman MP, Minister of State for
the Department for Transport, has announced that he will not
now implement the Low Carbon Car, Low Carbon Bus, Air Quality
Retrofit and Enhanced Environmental Vehicle grant programmes
on the grounds that they would not achieve market transformation
or provide value
for money.
The Low Carbon Car Programme could only provide
grants for 8,500 low carbon cars per year – 0.4% of the new car
market – and
sales of low carbon cars have been sustained despite the absence
of grants for 18 months, he said.
"I am not persuaded that giving small
grants for individual purchases will deliver significant emissions
reductions or change the way
we think about green transport. Not only do we need to promote
the cleanest cars, we need to promote the cleanest in each class.
"Our priorities need to be working with
industry to see increasingly efficient cars brought to market
and supporting targeted, clear
and helpful advice to inform the choices people make when purchasing
and driving a car,” he said.
Mike Chapman, autogas manager
at the LPGA, said: “The announcement
regarding grants is particularly disappointing as, in our discussions
with the Energy Saving Trust, we were led to believe that lpg
commercial vehicles were to be eligible for Air Quality Retrofit
grants, which was significant for fleets, especially local authorities.
"The association will now consider its
promotional strategy towards fleets in conjunction with the Autogas
Development Committee.”
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2006 News
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