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What is the Plug-In Van Grant?

You can receive a grant towards the cost of buying a new plug-in van that meets certain conditions. The term 'plug-in' applies to any van which can be charged by electricity.

The level of the grant is 20 per cent of the cost of the van, up to a maximum of £8,000. The government has made provision to support the Plug-in Car and Van Grants through to 2015.

How to apply for the grant

There are no application forms to fill in. The dealership or vendor selling you your plug-in van will complete all the paperwork for you. The amount of your grant will automatically be deducted from the price of your van at the point of purchase.

Vans covered by the grant

The grant covers any van that meets the criteria. At the moment, this is likely to be certain types of vans:

• electric vehicles (EVs) – these run completely on batteries and are plugged into the mains to be recharged
  
• plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) – these use a petrol or diesel engine combined with a battery that plugs into the mains
  
• hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and other technologies

The first seven vans eligible for the grant are:

• Azure Dynamics Transit Connect Electric
• Daimler Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell
  
• Faam ECOMILE
  
• Faam JOLLY 2000
  
• Mia electric Mia U
  
• Renault Kangoo
  
• Smith Electric Smith Edison

Only vans that meet the criteria set out below will be eligible for the grant.

For more detailed information about vehicles fuelled with electricity, hydrogen fuel cells and other greener fuels, see ‘Greener fuels for cars’.

• Greener fuels for cars

The criteria vans must meet

In order to be eligible for the grant, vans must meet certain standards of safety and performance.

Vehicle type

Only new vans are eligible (vehicle category ‘N1’ with a gross weight of 3.5 tonnes or less). This includes pre-registration conversions (normal, internal combustion engine vans that were converted to battery or hybrid versions by specialist convertors before the car’s first registration). A Plug in Car grant is also available to support the purchase of eligible low emission cars. Motorbikes and quadricycles are not covered in either scheme.

Carbon dioxide exhaust emissions

Vehicles must emit less than 75 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometre driven.

Range

Eligible fully electric vans must be able to travel a minimum of 60 miles between charges. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) must have a minimum electric range of 10 miles.

Minimum top speed

Vehicles must be able to reach a speed of 50 miles per hour or more.

Warranty

Vehicles must have:

• a 3-year or 60,000-miles vehicle warranty (guarantee)
  
• a 3-year battery and electric drive train warranty, with the option of extending the battery warranty for an extra 2 years

‘Drive train’ means the parts that send power from the engine to the wheels. These include the clutch, transmission (gear box), drive shafts, U-joints and differential.

Battery performance

Vehicles must have:

• either a minimum 5-year warranty on the battery and electric drive train as standard
  
• or extra evidence of battery performance to show reasonable performance after 3 years of use

Electrical safety

Vehicles must comply with certain regulations (UN-ECE Reg 100.00) that show that they are electrically safe.

Crash safety

To make sure vans will be safe in a crash, they must either have:

• EC whole vehicle type approval (EC WVTA, not small series)
  
• or evidence that the van has appropriate levels of safety as judged by international standards
  

What about cars?

A Plug-In Car Grant is also available to support the purchase of eligible new ultra-low emission cars. Car buyers are able to receive 25 per cent - up to £5,000 - off the cost of a plug-in car. To be eligible for the scheme, cars will have to meet performance criteria to ensure safety, range, and ultra-low tailpipe emissions. Consumers, both business and private will receive the discount at the point of purchase.

For more information on the support available for low emission cars, see ‘Plug-In Car Grant’.

• Plug-In Car Grant

Why the grants are being offered

At the moment, the up-front cost of a plug-in vehicle is higher than that of a petrol or diesel equivalent. This is because they are being made in small volumes and the batteries are currently expensive. The Plug-In Car and Van Grants will help to make buying a plug-in vehicle more affordable. For many drivers, the running costs of a plug-in vehicle will be lower than for conventional vehicles.

The environmental benefits of electric vehicles

Plug-in vehicles produce less carbon dioxide and air pollutants when driven than conventional cars and vans. Electric vehicles produce no tailpipe (exhaust) emissions when they’re driven. This means they don’t add to the problem of poor air quality in cities and towns.

For more information about electric vehicles, see ‘Greener fuels for cars’.

• Greener fuels for cars

Where can I plug in my vehicle?

Most people will be able to plug in their vehicles in at home and recharge overnight to make use of cheaper electricity tariffs.

It is possible to recharge an electric vehicle using a standard 3-pin plug, subject to the adequacy of the wiring. Increasingly, however, manufacturers are recommending dedicated home chargers that will allow faster charging times.

If you need to recharge your vehicle while out and about there are a number of areas already installing public infrastructure. The government is funding the following areas to do so through the Plugged-In Scheme:

• East of England
• Greater Manchester
• London
• Midlands
• Milton Keynes
• North East
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland

Charging points are also being installed by councils across the UK and by private sector providers.