Lex Autolease is launching a £1million fund to drive electric vehicle (EV) adoption, with the first 1,000 customers to sign up for a pure EV from January 2019 benefiting from a £1,000 contribution.

The leasing giant believes the move could increase the total number of pure EVs registered next year by around 8% and will help Lex Autolease to double the size of its pure electric vehicle fleet.

Tim Porter (pictured), managing director of Lex Autolease, said: “In July, the Government set out its ambition for at least half of new vehicles to be ultra-low emission by 2030.

"Our announcement today highlights our commitment to supporting this ambition and the role we, as the UK’s leading vehicle leasing provider, can play in helping to make it happen.”   

Lex Autolease acknowledges that it can be difficult for motorists to balance the conflicting demands of vehicle cost, choice and their responsibility to help achieve cleaner cities and a low carbon future.

However, Porter belives that as the battery technology and range of electric vehicles improves they are "fast becoming suitable for mainstream motorists". 

Porter added: “As the global automotive industry goes through this transformative period, the leasing industry has a huge role to play. 

"We have been working with customers for a number of years to help them upgrade to low emission vehicles – where it’s the right move for them as individual drivers or fleets. 

"We’re ideally placed to provide the guidance and support that drivers and fleets need in order to make this important transition.”

The £1,000 contribution will be available to business and personal customers.