SDLP PROMOTES GREEN EFFICIENCY

SDLP PROMOTES GREEN EFFICIENCY

West-Tyrone Constituency Representative, Daniel McCrossan, this week applauded the efforts of local business man Pat Kirk on his launch of the electric car!

Mr McCrossan said; “it’s great to see that a local business man has decided to push the positives of going green and launch the electric car to the Strabane public. Plug-in electric vehicles have many benefits; they use no petrol or diesel. With fuel prices being a cause of concern to many, the switch to electric vehicles is becoming more appealing for its green edge.”

Unfortunately there is currently no public charge point in the Strabane District. With all the benefits an electric vehicle brings, it is unacceptable that residents of the Strabane District have not yet got this facility to avail of. Green Efficiency must be made a priority and the benefits of the electric car must be promoted throughout the district. I have contacted the relevant departments in relation to these issues and look forward to a response.  

  

“To encourage people to buy and use electric cars, the Government is offering grants of up to £5,000 towards the purchase of a plug-in car. This is a great incentive for motorists, especially if they are concerned about the higher initial costs of an electric car.”

“Furthermore the government has recently announced a grant for electric vans. Purchasers will be able to receive 20 per cent - up to £8,000 - off the cost of a plug-in van which meets the government’s criteria. This will be of great interest to businesses, which can now save on the up-front purchase price of vans as well as on running costs.”

“Although electric vehicles are more expensive to buy, they have significantly lower running costs when compared to petrol or diesel equivalents. It works out that depending on when and how an electric vehicle is charged it will cost 2-4p per mile. This compares to 10-14p per mile for an equivalent petrol or diesel vehicle. That’s an average saving of £900 for every 10.000 miles.”

“Since electric vehicles have no tail pipe carbon emissions, they are therefore exempt from car tax. They also have very few moving parts therefore they require very little maintenance. These are considerable cost savings, especially as cars get older.”

“The benefits of switching to an electric vehicle are huge, especially in terms of savings.