With the price of fuel topping £2 a litre on some forecourts, IT Garage Services asks the question: “Should I switch to an electric car?”.
The Push to Go Electric
The good news is that the Scottish Government has put their money where its mouth is! And will provide more than £30m to support a move to electric vehicles this year.
Most of the support will come in the form of the ‘Low Carbon Transport Loan’ scheme. This scheme provides up to £28,000 in interest-free loans for a new electric car. Or up to £10,000 for an electric bike or scooter if that’s more your bag.
£2m will also be spent on the ‘Plugged In Communities’ initiative. This provides funding to community groups to secure an electric vehicle, along with £1.7m in infrastructure grants.
The government is keen to help reduce the nation’s emissions. It has met its 2020 goals, but with the effects of COVID-19 providing a sharp decline in emissions, more needs to be done to meet the upcoming emission targets.
This new investment by the government coupled with the spiralling cost of petrol and diesel means there has never been a better time to make that switch to an electric vehicle.
Reasons to Switch to an Electric Car
Since electric vehicles first hit our streets, the primary reason for switching to them was that they were much more environmentally friendly than their fossil fuel cousins.
A 2018 report found that petrol vehicles produced the highest level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. At 125g per kilometre, while diesel vehicles emitted 122g. Battery electric vehicles in comparison produced zero CO2 tailpipe emissions. Zero emissions can only be a good thing and are no longer just a concern for sandal-wearing environmentalists. The evidence for climate change is almost universally accepted.
Even if you are not convinced by the environmental benefits of switching to electric, the financial reasons to make the switch are pretty compelling:
- Fully electric vehicles can cost from as little as 1p per mile to run, compared to 8-17p per mile for petrol and diesel cars. This means you could travel 200 miles for just £2 in your electric car.
- Fuel costs are around 70% lower for Electric vehicles if overnight home charging electricity is used.
- Fully electric vehicles generally have only 3 main components; the onboard charger, inverter and motor. With fewer parts susceptible to damage, you could be visiting your local Inverness garage for repair and servicing less than with a petrol or diesel vehicle. This will reduce your overall costs.
- Zero-emission electric vehicles are zero-rated for standard tax. That means you don’t have to pay any vehicle tax on a pure electric vehicle!
IT Garage Services – Local Inverness Vehicle Repair
If you’re still not quite ready to make the switch, IT Garage Services in Inverness will help keep you on the road and the costs of maintaining your vehicle to a minimum,
If you’re looking for a service, MOT or repair, you can find the best garage in Inverness – IT Garage Services at 35H Harbour Rd Inverness IV1 1UA
Contact us now to book an appointment or for any enquiries:
01463 213987
Monday -Friday: 8 am to 6 pm
Saturday: 8 am to 1 pm
