Wera Hobhouse, the MP for Bath, has called on the Government to ensure that electric vehicles are more accessible for families.
Mrs Hobhouse, who is also the Lib Dem spokesperson for Energy, Climate Change and Transport, questioned the government’s plans to ensure that electric vehicles were a genuine and accessible alternative for existing car owners.
Speaking with Anthony Browne, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Roads and Local Transport, the MP stressed the importance of encouraging people from all socio-economic backgrounds to participate in the “green transition”.
Mrs Hobhouse said this could only be achieved once electric vehicles were made an “affordable and accessible option” for all car owners.
Despite electric vehicles generally being cheaper to run than petrol and diesel cars, there are some hidden costs to owning one which can exclude many hard-working families.
Examples include charging, where doing so at home costs less than half the price of using public charging points.
The Bath MP has called for the government to close the gap by helping to reduce the cost of at-home charging points to ensure that no one is priced-out of choosing greener modes of transport.
Anthony Browne shared Mrs Hobhouse’s enthusiasm for the green transition to electric vehicles, confirming that electric cars were cheaper to run on average than petrol and diesel alternatives.
However, he didn’t commit to introducing incentives to make electric cars more affordable for all.
Wera Hobhouse commented: “Electric vehicles are totally out of reach for the majority of people, especially hard-working families on lower incomes.
“The government needs to bring everyone along on the green transition, otherwise there is little hope of reaching our net zero targets.
“Many car owners have shown willingness to transition to an electric alternative, especially as they are cheaper to run than petrol and diesel cars.
“Yet, the Conservatives are intent on making it difficult for them. They must ensure everyone gets a fair deal so we can all do our bit to drive us down the road to net zero.”
