More Calderdale's drivers are switching to electric cars, figures show

Electric car technology is advancing rapidly, and the latest figures suggest that Calderdale is getting on board the green revolution.
More Calderdale's drivers are switching to electric cars, figures showMore Calderdale's drivers are switching to electric cars, figures show
More Calderdale's drivers are switching to electric cars, figures show

From October 2017 to September 2018, the number of registered plug-in vehicles in the area increased by 36 per cent.

Read: This is how hard it is to pass your driving test at Halifax test centreThe latest Department for Transport statistics show the number of registered electric or plug-in hybrid cars, vans and micro cars called quadricycles in Calderdale for each quarter of the year.

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From July 2017 to September 2017 there were 215 electric vehicles.

However by the latest quarter, from July to September 2018, that figure had grown to 293, a jump of 78.

That's lower than the increase of 1,770 in Peterborough, which has the highest percentage of plug-in vehicles of any local authority in the United Kingdom.

But back in 2013, in Calderdale, there were just 11 electric cars, which shows the progress the industry has made in a short time.

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Over the past few years manufacturers have increased the range of their vehicles, and prices have lowered, helping fuel the rise in environmentally friendly vehicles.

The latest Nissan Leaf, the UK's most popular entirely electric car, can now travel 235 miles before it needs to be recharged, 80 miles more than the previous version.

Over the next year BP will install charging points at its petrol stations, following Shell's roll out in 2017. Dyson has also said it plans to release an electric car by 2020.

One advantage electric car users have over other vehicles is that they do not have to pay road tax, as they do not release any emissions.

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Electricity is also far cheaper than petrol and diesel, and green drivers have the satisfaction of helping save the planet.

However, in November, the Government reduced the maximum discount electric car buyers could get from £4,500 to £3,500.

Plug-in vehicles still make up a tiny percentage of the cars on the road in Calderdale.

Compared with the 293 electric cars on our roads, there are 101,807 cars and vans in total, according to the latest complete vehicle registration data from 2017.