Electric vehicle maker Aixam Mega; which owns the NICE brand in the UK, has called on the government to rethink its policy on electric cars and vans.
They believe that a report published today by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) will add considerable weight that government policy is at odds with its green plans.
The document is a review of the progress that has been made to date on sustainable development, and it provides details of how the 2005 government strategy 'Securing the Future' has failed in several areas, notably its aim to bring about a reduction in greenhouse gases of 20 per cent by 2010. The report states that when trade and travel is taken into account emissions have actually risen.
What is the problem?
Axiam Mega believe that the government’s sole focus on distant new green technologies rather than technology currently available is a mistake, the French manufacturer even states that its products are being deliberately excluded in the current spate of electric car trials.
Aixam Mega general manager Lawrence Holland says that the company has been willing to take part in various initiatives, including the scrappage scheme and the recently announced electric vehicle trials in major towns and cities, but has been refused each time.
He said: "We have been told that this is because our vehicles are legally described as quadricycles, rather than as cars, owing to their lighter weight, and lower power output.
"In terms of the environmental agenda, this is a nonsensical distinction to be making.
"We make vehicles for private motorists and a range of trucks and vans which have a wide range of practical applications in an urban environment. They meet all the UK government's own criteria for electrics in terms of speed, safety, emissions, range and recyclability.
"The government's own estimates show that 22 per cent of the UK's carbon emissions come from transport, and that the widespread adoption of electric vehicles capable of a range of 50km or more could cut carbon emissions from road transport by half. By allowing commercially ready vehicles such as ours onto their programmes, the government could make real progress towards achieving its carbon reduction targets."
There is little to doubt that Axiam Mega, as well as other quadricycle manufacturers, is being unfairly excluded from government trials and funding.
Is it not time that a fully integrated transport solution is looked at? Including a variety of public and private transport options, from hybrid buses to electric quadricycles.
Let us know your thoughts below.
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