Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to promote the (1) production, and (2) use, of electric cars in the UK.

The Government is supporting the automotive industry in the switch to ultra-low emission vehicles. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles has awarded over £300m in grants, via Innovate UK, into ultra-low emission technologies to support vehicle manufacturers, technology companies and academia in delivering a major programme of R&D into cleaner vehicle technologies. The Government and industry have also committed around £1bn over 10 years to 2023 through the Advanced Propulsion Centre, to research, develop and commercialise the next generation of low carbon technologies, and to keep the UK at the cutting edge of low carbon automotive innovations.

The £274m Faraday Battery Challenge will ensure the UK builds on its strengths and leads the world in the design, development and manufacture of electric batteries. The £80m Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge provides support for innovation in electric motor technology.

The Government has recently also announced up to £1bn of additional funding to develop UK supply chains for the large-scale production of electric vehicles, and for further EV research and development.

Alongside these supply-side measures, we are investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021, via grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles, and schemes to support chargepoint infrastructure at homes, workplaces and on residential streets. These subsidies are designed to support the early market and achieve a competitive, self-sustaining market.