“We’re only nine weeks away now from one in three cars needing to be electric, and as you can see, the industry is running behind that at the moment,” Catlin continued. “I think we may need to see more support in the marketplace to hit the ambitious targets over the next couple of years.”
Catlin said customer demand is still running well behind the expectation when the targets were set, so the ECG introduction alone won’t be enough. “We absolutely needed some action. And we’re really pleased that the Government listened and launched the program,” he continued. “Clearly, this year, we needed the car grant in order to achieve the 28 per cent mix, and we need to move that on again. Vauxhall’s in a fortunate position to be launching the new Frontera at the right time to help us achieve that, but I don’t know whether the industry is in exactly the same position.”
For the latest on the Electric Car Grant and which vehicles get the discount, see our EV Grant page. Plus our electric car deals page has all the top offers, and our parent site Carwow is running a live hub page for the latest EV discounts.
Catlin called for the government to support development of the charging infrastructure, flagging the difference in VAT between home and public charging that many across the industry have highlighted as a key problem.
“That is something that the government could take action on to support the confidence in EV infrastructure,” Catlin said. “And then I would say that we just need to stay very close, because over the next six months, we’ll clearly see whether or not the ECG has been sufficient to move consumer demand to the level that it needs to be.”
Unlike the Ford Puma Gen-e and E-Tourneo Connect, which get the higher £3,750 grant, Vauxhall’s EV range – the Corsa, Mokka, Frontera, Astra and Grandland – all qualify for the lower £1,500 level. However, the larger-battery version of the Frontera coming next year could be the first Vauxhall to be eligible for the full amount.
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Vauxhall Grandland
Vauxhall Frontera
Vauxhall Corsa