Electric car owners arrive in town

ELECTRIC cars owners from across the North West visited Warrington to celebrate a staggering 131 per cent increase in the number of all-electric vehicles registered.
They were greeted by Richard Short, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Warrington North who expressed surprise that none of his poltical rivals – not even the Greens – turned up for the event.
New car registrations are at their highest since twice
yearly registrations began and registration of all-electric vehicles is up by 131 per cent –  partly due to the Government’s  Plug In Car scheme which gives grants of 35 per cent off the cost of the car up to a maximum of £5000, making otherwise expensive technology more affordable.
With 26 cars currently eligible for this Government grant electric cars are starting to become a common sight on our streets, said Mr Short.
Richard Short said: “It’s great to see electric vehicle owners coming to Warrington North to show the cars to the public and answer questions on electric vehicle ownership.
“I was surprised to learn that modern electric cars can travel for hundreds of miles on a single charge and can be used like any other family car. The big issue is the number of fast charging points.
“Warrington has five charging points for electric cars3 and with the increase of electric car ownership this needs to increase.
“I’ll be pushing for more to meet future need by working with local businesses and planners but they have to get it right. It’s no good installing slow charging points in shop car parks which take hours to recharge, these are best suited to hotels where the car can be left on overnight charge.
“At Ikea in Warrington there are free to the public, rapid charge units which is what we want to see more of as these can charge a car in as little as an hour.
“This benefits business as it attracts customers to shop whilst their car is on charge. The benefits to owners include zero fuel costs as well as zero emissions. It is vital to have this infra-structure commonplace across the UK to make electric vehicles more accessible, cutting down on pollution and reducing reliance on fossil fuels to get us around”