7:45 am, February 12, 2023
The Scottish government has been accused of ‘misleading’ motorists when it comes to the level of financial support available when buying an EV.
The Liberal Democrats say that ministers north of the border are continuing to publicise the Electric Vehicle Loan Scheme, which ended almost a year ago.
The scheme, designed to boost EV sales, was closed down on March 4, 2022 and there is currently no replacement in the pipeline.
Transport minister Jenny Gilruth told Scottish Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur last month that ‘no specific loan funding is set aside for new vehicles’ in the answer to a written question at Holyrood.
McArthur, the climate emergency spokesman for his party, said: ‘The Scottish government has quite clearly created a misleading picture of the support available for purchasing EVs.
‘This government won’t meet its climate targets by cutting support for schemes which encourage people to make the switch to low-carbon transport.
‘There simply are not enough used EVs on the market for everyone to transition to low-carbon transport this way, so support for new purchases is clearly necessary.
‘The UK government has recently ended its subsidies for EVs and now the SNP-Green coalition looks like they’re following the same road as the Conservatives.
‘This comes at a time when the climate change committee has condemned the Scottish government for lacking a clear plan to reduce emissions.’
A Scottish government spokesperson said: ‘The information relating to EV support, on a sub-section of a page relating to renewable and low carbon energy, is out of date and will be updated.
‘Our range of support is promoted by and delivered through Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the Scottish government – where over £185m has been provided through our Low Carbon Transport Loan to support the transition to electric vehicles.’
Last month, the Scottish government was left with egg on its face when it incorrectly told the public that the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars was being pushed back from 2030 to 2032.
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