Government pledges to make electric cars cheaper to buy

The government will make it cheaper to buy an electric car (EV) to get more drivers to make the switch, the Transport Secretary has said.

However Heidi Alexander, nor the Department for Transport would not explicitly confirm reports in the Telegraph that the government will offer drivers thousands of pounds in grants to cut the price of buying an EV.

It was announced on Sunday that people without driveways will be able to have charge points fitted using "cross-pavement gullies" paid for with £25m allocated to councils.

The Conservatives welcomed the investment but accused the government of "forcing families" into "expensive electric vehicles before the country was ready".

Alexander told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: "We are going to be making some announcements later this week on how we make it more affordable for people to buy an electric vehicle.

When pushed on whether this would come in the form of hundreds of millions of pounds in EV grants, as reports suggested, Alexander refused to say.

"I can guarantee to your viewers that we will be making it cheaper for those who do want to make the switch to an electric vehicle, " she added.

The Department for Transport would not comment further.

It comes after Alexander told the Telegraph the high cost of electric vehicles was making people wary, saying "It was right that the government thinks in the round about what we can do to tackle both of the issues, on charging and on the upfront cost of purchase."

Richard Fuller MP, shadow chief Secretary to the Treasury, accused Labour of "forcing families into more expensive electric vehicles before the country is ready."

The reports come as the government said it would invest £63m to boost charging infrastruture across the UK.

Alexander said she did not have an electric vehicle herself, adding that she lived in a terraced house without a driveway.

"I don't have an electric car... like millions of people in this country - I bought a new car about six years ago, I'm thinking about the next car that I will purchase and it will definitely be an electric vehicle," she said.

The average price of a new EV in the UK is nearly double the cost of a typical petrol car at £22,000.

However some electric cars made by Chinese brands are beginning to enter the UK market at as little as £18,000.

Around a fifth of new cars sold during the first half of the year were electric, according to the latest figures from the UK motor trade association the SMMT.

However, sales remain well below the mandated targets manufacturers have been set, ahead of the ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars in 2030.

In April, Alexander announced manufacturers would have more flexibility on annual targets and face lower fines to allow them to manage the impact of trade tariffs from the US.

Access to charging points are believed to be one reason holding back sales.

On Sunday, Alexander said larger EV charging hubs would be signposted from major A-roads to help drivers plug in more easily, it said.

President of the AA Edmund King said moves like this were "vital" to create confidence in the transition to EVs.