ELECTRIC cars will soon be the cheapest option for all consumers – particularly for households with less disposable income – according to the European Consumer Organisation BEUC.
The claim came in a briefing to journalists on the EU’s plans to cut its emissions by 55% by 2030, the “Fit for 55 Package”, which will see sweeping legislation in the bloc covering almost every area, from transport and energy to taxation and carbon pricing.
Among the plans the EU has signalled its intent to greatly improve the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) and legislation reducing CO2 emissions from cars and vans.
The bloc will table a series of energy and climate laws next week, aimed at reaching its goal of cutting emissions by 55% by 2030, helping reach its target of hitting net zero by 2050.
Dimitri Vergne, the BEUC’s energy and sustainability team leader, said these two pieces of legislation would set the pace at which Europe moved towards a fully electric car industry.
“It's important to drive while emitting the least possible amount of CO2 emission and at the best possible cost,” he said.
“The good news is that electric cars can deliver just that.”
Vergne said a recent study had shown that electric cars were, for many the cheapest option for many consumers.
However, as we know all too well in Scotland, electric cars can be very expensive to buy and out of the range of most low-income households – triggering fears that we could be left behind as non-EU members.
Vergne said we could still learn from European countries: “With the massification of the first-hand [new] market, discounts will reach consumers buying second hand and third hand cars quite quickly.
“And for these people … the largest share of the costs of your vehicle are actually maintenance and refuelling.
“On both these financial aspects, electric cars really deliver a lot more savings than an old diesel or petrol vehicle which you probably will need to maintain quite a lot.
“I'm not a specialist of every market in the EU, but I think in the UK, you have also got sales incentives for electric cars, and good inspiration maybe can be found in France where the purchase incentives are also targeting second-hand cars.”
He said this would offer help for those people most in need of financial support to buy EVs.
Vergne agreed buying EVs did involve a bigger initial outlay, but added: “We expect the situation to change drastically if the EU really pushes manufacturers to make these cars more widely available.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here