I have previously spoken about how driving electric is like being part of a rather exclusive (but rapidly growing) club. We have our own private parking spaces which are almost always closer to the door than even the disabled spaces, we laugh at the fossil fuel drivers as they faint at the price of petrol which seen to be increasing at an alarming pace. However, the exclusivity has just grown to a new level with the proposed introduction of a new green number plate to indicate that we are driving zero emission cars. The theory is this will allow councils, and other bodies to know which vehicles are zero emission and therefore do not need to be charged for emissions zones and can be charged less for parking etc.
However, I somewhat doubt this will have the desired effect. We are in a connected world where my number plate is read by ANPR cameras everywhere from car parks to petrol stations. If someone wanted to know if a vehicle was zero emission, a rapid look up on the DVLA database will give a quick answer (or an overnight batch process if this is an offline device). I question, for example, who long it will be before fossil fuel drivers can knock off ‘green’ plates on famous auction sites to garner the same effects?
Now, I am a dyed in the Harris Tweed traditionalist, you can buy my ‘go electric’’ old school tie, lovingly embroidered with green stripes which comes with a handbook of handshakes to identify you privately to other drivers in social situations. I don’t need a green plate, lets face it, the fact my motor has Electric on the back, is silent and better to drive… But, I won’t go on.
No, I fear this is a bit of marketing fluff from the government and it may backfire, unlike my car… (sorry!) — I can foresee anti-electric resentment with the (unenlightened) fossil fuel drivers using the green plates to vent their ire.
I know there are more important things to do to boost the introduction of zero emission vehicles, including improving the charging infrastructure and sensibly reduce purchase costs to make them an intuitive choice for the unenlightened audience.
I should explain what I mean by ‘unenlightened’, this is not intended as an insult, more a statement. It is not, at the moment simple to buy electric. We have all learned about traditional cars and what we are looking for (engine size and type, for example) and we need to learn a whole new language and terminology for buying a new car. The time has come to educate the masses, and this is more than a few news articles and cinema adverts. If we are going to change the face of motoring there needs to be some pretty rapid changes.
If I go to purchase a new car, the first choice presented to me by most dealers is not electric. I know that as I have been around the main dealers who are more than willing to sell traditional cars, but have little or no knowledge of their electric fleet.
So, let’s start with the dealers, traders and garages, journalists, bloggers and ( I hate to use this word) influencers. We need to do so much more to make the great cars we drive attractive, sexy even like those from the unstoppable Mr Musk.
I throw down the gauntlet to the industry, forget the green plates. Let’s see some real effort to live electric!