London’s emission zones — coming to a street near you.
Stay ‘in the Green’, Go Electric: Why the London emission zone expansion in 2021 means you should consider an electric vehicle.
In June 2020 the government issued temporary changes to London’s congestion charge rates in an attempt to reduce travel in and around London. The congestion rate was previously £11.50 and increased to £15.
An even more significant change will take place this year with the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) from 25th October 2021 to cover the North and South Circular roads — and affecting not just a significant number of businesses, but households as well!
The introduction of ULEZ was set in April 2019 within the existing Congestion Charging Zone and operates 24/7, charging £12.50 for older diesel and petrol vehicles. Like the Congestion Charging Zone extension, ULEZ’s expansion affects mainly diesel cars registered before September 2015, diesel vans registered before 2016, petrol cars and vans registered before 2006, and pre-2014 lorries and buses.
No doubt this will have a great effect on the expenditure of businesses which use diesel vans, cars and/ or lorries to transport goods and services within London.
The motives behind the expansion however remain commendable. In an effort to tackle air pollution, the London Mayor’s vision of a greener London has been greatly influenced and backed by statistics monitoring air pollution rates between 2016 and 2020. The introduction of ULEZ has seen great reductions in nitrogen dioxide emissions and improved air quality, particularly in monitoring sites like Wandsworth seeing a 50% reduction from 2016 to 2019.
But with ULEZ expanding and the potential for the Congestion Charge zone following suit, what can you do as a Londoner?
And how can you balance ensuring the household or business finances are sustainable whilst doing your bit for the environment?
The option of walking or cycling to work instead of driving, using public transport or even carpooling are cost-effective options. But if you rely on a car or van, considering switching to an electric vehicle just became more viable, and here’s why.
With electric vehicles being exempt from both the ULEZ and Congestion Charging Zone, the option of investing in electric vehicles is a great stride forward in ensuring we move to more sustainable options in the future. Despite being a costly investment for companies on a budget, the benefits certainly outweigh it over time.
It is also the most efficient way to cut greenhouse gas emissions as our power grids become increasingly renewable energy powered, and London has also seen a rise in the number of public charging stations being built to accommodate the growing demand for electric vehicles. Surprisingly, studies have shown that electric vehicles are cheaper to own and run compared to our petrol and diesel counterparts.
So why not consider switching to an electric vehicle, it may be the most financially savvy decision you make this year — if not the most sustainable one.
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ChargeBound is a company dedicated to encouraging UK drivers to go electric. Our mission is to eliminate car passenger emissions in the UK and get us closer to being carbon neutral. To find out more about what we do check out ChargeBound’s website and the solutions we are creating to make a change.
This article was researched and written by our good friend Samrawit Elias.
