AA president Edmund King will call on the Government to provide greater clarity over its position on diesel, at the Zero Emission Vehicle Summit today.

“Many feel that the decision they made in good faith years ago, could now come back to haunt them,” he said,

Three quarters of drivers in an AA poll said a diesel scrappage scheme would help encourage them to buy an ultra-low emission vehicle.

“The UK has the opportunity to lead the way on electric and ultra-low emission vehicles, but we need to create the right environment for the technology to thrive and flourish,” King added.

According to an AA survey, eight out of 10 drivers (84%) say that the lack of chargers is a stumbling block to electric car ownership. Even though there are more than 17,000 already in existence. King believes more work needs to be done to build a sustainable, easy to access and use charging network.

He said: “As most drivers say they would charge at home, an significant investment needs to be made to unlock anxiety for car owners who have no allocated parking space. While there are grants available, local councils need to step up their efforts to install on-street charging points.”

Today, the Prime Minister will unveil a £106 million package for projects developing electric vehicles (EVs), batteries and charging technology, at the country’s first ever Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit.

It is expected to spearhead development of zero-emission vehicles and related technology. 

“Batteries produced in the UK are amongst the best in the world, so we should be proud to buy British. Offering drivers a hand to buy them could prove to be the investment of the century,” King said.

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