UK won't lack vehicle to grid infrastructure

The UK government has denied claims that it is not performing enough to help support the introduction of electric vehicles in the country.

In a significant visit to the UK this week, Ivan Hodac, Secretary-General of European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, said that the money used to fund North East’s electric vehicle infrastructure was not fully supported across the UK.

His recent outspoken accusation to the UK government has offended ministers who have allotted millions of pounds just to support electric vehicle projects.

Hodac informed that Nissan’s Sunderland car assembly plant, which employs over 3,000 workers, is currently competing against a factory in Portugal to produce Nissan’s LEAF electric car.

He warned that the Portuguese government’s initiative to install charging points nationwide for electric vehicles is progressing much faster than the UK.

Opposing Hodac’s statement, a Department for Transport spokeswoman earlier stated that the North East is considered as the UK’s first ‘Low Carbon Economic Area’. The UK government is also claiming to have raised £30 million (U$48 millions / 33 million €) to install charging points for plug-in hybrid and electric cars.

Another UK government spokeswoman informed that over £400 million (U$645 millions / 445 million €) has been invested to support the development, manufacturing and use of green vehicles. The support is also being targeted to generate jobs in the UK automotive sector and to reduce the carbon level emitted from the UK’s land transport.

A Nissan spokesman said that the automaker is continuing to make partnerships with organizations and governments that will help advance the introduction of electric cars. He further informed that LEAF, the world’s first inexpensive mass-marketed electric car, will be available late 2010 in Europe, Japan and the US.

Source : Electric.co.uk, by Justin Becks, January 15th, 2010