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Category Archives: Zero-emission Vehicles

Electronic car dealer decides to close its doors

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The one and only company who supplied electric vehicles throughout the Isle of Man has stopped trading. The company say that the existence of the company is neither sustainable nor justified.

For the last two years e-Go Vehicles Ltd have been bringing new vehicle technology to the island, during which time they received an enthusiastic welcome from both residents and businesses who shared their vision of electric vehicles. The company made the tough decision to close after lengthy talks following a devastating announcement by the Minister for Environment John Shimmin three months ago.

Mr Shimmin announced that Isle of Man residents will not be eligible for new electric vehicle subsidy, despite the fact that this offer is available to everyone in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Currently motorists can claim £5,000 for each electric vehicle in the UK and €5,000 per electric vehicle in Ireland. This is to encourage drivers to adopt either a zero or low emission vehicle before getting a direct car insurance quote.

A statement released by e-Go said: “The Isle of Man has not followed the leadership of other nations in supporting the transition to low-energy, low-emission vehicles meaning that subsidised foreign imports undermine the potential for local retailers to develop a market supplying cleaner and greener vehicles on the Island. The directors have therefore reluctantly taken the decision that the further existence of the company is not justified or sustainable following the definitive announcement by the Isle of Man Government.”

The company will close solvent with no creditors involved and are grateful to the partners who supported them over the last two years. They hope that the Isle of Man Government will in the future be able to offer residents more support in buying a new Electric Vehicle. As it stands it will be cheaper to buy the vehicle from the UK or Ireland and drive it onto the ferry from the mainland.

Zero-emission vehicles to get the green light

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If predictions are correct, there will be a revolution in the motoring industry in the coming years, as tens of thousands of zero emission electric vehicles are prepared to hit the roads of the United Kingdom.

It has been predicted that slowly over time, the days when a motorist only required a bare slab of tarmac or concrete to park up are ending. In the not too distant future there will be an increasing numbers of drivers who will be demanding curbsides equipped with glowing posts which are capable of recharging a plug-in EV (electric Vehicle).

At the moment electric vehicles account for only a few thousand of the 28.5m cars on the roads, however, both industry and the Coalition Government are taking huge steps to clean up the environment and also boost the UK’s economy. Estimates have been made that we will see tens of thousands of new zero emission vehicles on the roads within the next few years. This year is set to be the biggest year yet for the motor industry as six new EVs are being launched in the UK, and another three hitting the showrooms next year. Insurance firms are expecting a surge in drivers getting a motor insurance quote for an EV.

Inevitably, barriers are still there regarding the adoption of an EV; not least the fact that expensive battery technology means the Leaf and its rivals will set a driver back between £28,000 and £35,000 which is a third more than similar conventional combustion engine vehicle.

Andy Heiron, head of the EV programme at Renault UK, says “Appealing to people’s pockets will be key. There are some people who will buy and run electric vehicles to make a statement, but for the mass market, they have to make financial sense. That’s why we’ve stuck our neck on the block by going for battery lease, i.e. buyers of Renault’s electric cars will pay a monthly rental fee for the battery, which will mean we are on a level with equivalent diesel cars on upfront cost.”