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Electric Bikes Get More Government Incentives In the UK

The two-wheeled section of the world of transportation is slowly but surely getting electrified. And many governments are encouraging people to buy one, the latest news coming from the UK where the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) announced a new subsidy for electric bikes.
2017 BMW C evolution 1 photo
Photo: BMW Motorrad
Although electric cars have been benefiting from important government incentives, bikes powered by the same magical pixies have been left out, which is quite stupid if you ask me, since they can be easily charged at home or work using normal wall sockets in less time a car does.

However, the UK government has been informed about this and decided to cut the price of each EV bike by £1,500 or 20%, whichever is the smaller number. The grant will be made available for new road registered electric motorcycles and scooters reaching certain quality criteria, which include having a battery with 5 years warranty and a good range.

“This opens the door to zero emission transport to people who have not been able to afford electric cars, which tended to have been a ‘lifestyle choice,'” MCIA CEO Steve Kenward said. "Motorcycles and scooters are an extremely accessible form of electric transport and have the capacity to significantly reduce congestion, since they share all the advantages of riding a regular powered two wheeler. Riders can filter through traffic, often use bus lanes and usually get closer to their end destination, cutting door to door journey times."

Apart from that, motorcycles are exempt from congestion charges in the UK. They also get cheaper or no parking fee, as well as no vehicle tax. This only gets better if you opt for an electric one, since you get fuel cost equivalent of a penny per mile.

MCIA has been involved in negotiations with OLEV, the government department which encourages low emission vehicles, for the past three years. An initial announcement about extending the grant to motorcycles and scooters was made by the Coalition Government in March 2015; however, the detail was not confirmed until now.
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