Originally published on Sustainnovate.
By Henry Lindon
Winning cities for the Go Ultra Low City Scheme — intended to help support the adoption of electric vehicles in the UK — have been selected.
The 4 winning cities — London, Bristol, Nottingham, and Milton Keynes — will each get a slice of the £40 million in funding provided by the scheme.
The 4 winners were selected based on their city-specific plans, which were submitted before the selection process. The scheme is intended mostly as a means of reducing urban air pollution and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The plans submitted by the cities in question call for EV charging station buildouts, including fast-charging hub development, policy changes allowing EVs to use dedicated bus lanes, street lamps that double as charging points, and EV-specific parking spots, amongst other things.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin commented: “I want to see thousands more greener vehicles on our roads and I am proud to back this ambition with £40 million to help the UK become international pioneers of emission-cutting technology.”
The split of funding distribution isn’t quite equal, unsurprisingly — with London slated to receive £13 million, Milton Keynes £9 million, Bristol £7 million, and Nottingham £6 million. The London plan will also reportedly be based around the boroughs of Hackney and Westminster.
Interestingly, Bristol will be creating a 4-week leasing scheme with some of the funding, thereby allowing those interested to try out EVs without getting stuck in a long lease contract.
Good choices. All have a relatively high proportion of tech and high-income types ready to become early adopters.
I can also attest that Bristol – the other city of the seven hills – makes a great use case for regen.