Labour to call for EV “revolution”

Shadow business secretary and former climate change minister Ed Miliband will call for an EV revolution today, according to reports.

In a speech, Miliband will call for the part-financing of three new gigafactories by 2025, loans for new and used electric vehicles to help those in lower and middle income brackets afford EVs, and a quicker roll-out of charging infrastructure on streets – especially in the North West, Yorkshire, and the Midlands.

Reports in newspapers and Sky News suggest Miliband is to say: “To back the car industry and create jobs, Labour would bring forward ambitious proposals to spark an electric vehicle revolution in every part of the country.

“By extending the option to buy an electric car to those on lower incomes and accelerating the rollout of charging points in regions that have been left out, we would ensure that everyone could benefit, rather than bake in unfairness.

“While it’s right that government has said the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end, it’s wrong it is imposing a massive transition on our manufacturers from Whitehall then washing its hands of it.

“It’s not fair, it will damage our manufacturers, and it will mean losing out on the chance to be the world-leader in the electric vehicle market.”

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