ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
General Category => Electric Motorcycle News => Topic started by: MostlyBonkers on December 05, 2015, 01:51:00 AM
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Jason at Streetbike told me they got some news in this morning. Unfortunately I was on my mobile walking through the city and I didn't catch much of what he told me. I got the gist that something is going to happen soon though. I think it might have the effect of eliminating the VAT (sales tax). Or in that ballpark. 20% off retail will make a difference!
I've not doubt more news will filter through soon so I thought I'd start a topic going. I am surprised to say the least. I thought it would be months before we heard any more.
We need more info, especially since Streetbike have got orders for ten bikes since the dealership agreement was announced a few short weeks ago. It may delay those orders being fulfilled as no doubt everyone will want the subsidy applied.
Watch this space and if anyone gets news before me, please share.
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I was chatting with Charlie the other day, I guessed something would be announced to time with the Paris Talks.
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I did wonder if those talks might have something to do with it. Perhaps it's all down to that letter to my local MP! [emoji6]
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I spoke to Jason again a short while ago. They've got a couple of good sources they're speaking to. Full details should come through within the next week or two. The subsidy will come into effect in January but won't be retrospective. We'll have to wait for our bikes for a few more weeks but they will be cheaper. Likely to be the maximum of £1500 off the DSP bikes and above.
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Fair enough. Gives me a little bit longer to build up my deposit.
Thanks, I have ample time to chat with Charlie about it tomorrow I suspect.
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Keep the info coming guys if you hear any more..........I've ordered one of the Police Spec DS's and I'm hoping we'll get the subsidy,be worth the wait :-)
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I finally got a response from OLEV:
Dear Tom
Thanks for your email and phone call chasing progress on this issue, I'm very sorry for the delay in getting back to you about this. The answer is that the Government remains committed to supporting the UK's zero emission motorcycle industry. We have been working with stakeholders on the details of a scheme and will make a further announcement in due course once we have Ministerial clearance to do so.
I appreciate how frustrating the delay must be, but I hope this clarifies the situation.
Yours sincerely,
John
Mr John ****** | Policy Advisor, Program Office, Office for Low Emission Vehicles
1/29- 33 GMH
**************
It's the same story we've been getting since before Christmas. How utterly hopeless and incompetent is it possible to be? So much for trying to run the country like a business...
I've replied to John, have thanked him for his response (3 months late after numerous attempts at making contact - but I didn't say that), and have asked him if there's anything he can do to expedite the process. I did point out that there was talk of a subsidy back in 2012.
I'm glad I don't have to deal with the government in my day job...
As regular readers will know, I decided to give up waiting for the subsidy. I still want them to implement the damn thing though! Who knows how long they're going to string this out for? There has been no shortage of bad information so far, even with the best intentions! One budget has passed, nothing announced in time for today's new vehicle registrations and so the next budget is dangled like a carrot. Let's expect nothing, unless there's some hard evidence. That way people can just stop getting their hopes up and get on with their lives, with or without an electric bike!
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Hi Gareth
Registration assigned.
Yes still all a bit up in the air with the specifics on the subsidy.
It’ll be a waiting game for the budget again I suspect.
Regards
Charlie Kehoe
Hey Charlie,
BV16UDS please
Great to hear from you,have you heard anything concrete ?,I've tried to get to the bottom of it, but it's all been a bit vague.
Kind Regards,
Gareth.
Sent from
Hi Gareth
This is what I got off Streetbike last week,thought something was happening.......
The long wait for the Zero motorcycle subsidy is nearly over only about a month to go.
As we will be entering a new registration period before this happens we need to pick a different registration number.
I have put the available registrations below, if you find one you like and email me back so I can assign it to your bike.
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To be honest, I think they're being proactive and getting the new registrations set up in the hope that there will be something concrete announced in the new budget. I really, really, hope they do for everyone's sake! Only two weeks to go to find out at least.
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Lets try this......................could I ask you all to ask the Minister in charge personally here http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-02-08.26202.h&s=electric+motorcycle (http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-02-08.26202.h&s=electric+motorcycle) when the grant is coming in ?
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Mines Done. :-)
Electric Motorcycle Plug in grant
gareth wilkinson made this Freedom of Information request to Department for Transport
Currently waiting for a response from Department for Transport, they must respond promptly and normally no later than 4 April 2016 (details).
From: gareth wilkinson
2 March 2016
Dear Department for Transport,
Could you please give me a known date of when we will see the plug
in grant for electric motorcycles implemented,as I believe this is
long overdue.
Yours faithfully,
Gareth Wilkinson.
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Online here
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/electric_motorcycle_plug_in_gran (https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/electric_motorcycle_plug_in_gran)
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http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=5566.0 (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=5566.0)
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We're over a week beyond the last budget and there are still no announcements from OLEV. I've just sent them the email below.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I've contacted your office a number of times over the last few months. Every time I get the same story about how the subsidy is under consideration. How long can this stalling continue? We've just had yet another budget announcement for which we have all been told there will be news.
Please let me know what the current status is and when we can expect some concrete news for a plug-in motorcycle grant.
Yours faithfully,
MostlyBonkers
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Thanks for trying again 'Mostly' ,I'm still waiting for a response to my 'Freedom of Information request', I think they have until the 6th April,but I'll be astounded if we hear anything new, they'll just serve up the same crap.
Streetbike seem to be happy to wait till April, but after that I think my luck will run out,and I'll have no option but to chuck in the towel on the deal.
Its so frustrating, I don't understand what we're waiting for now,they've had plenty of time to figure out the rollout !
So keep your eyes out for me posting there's another DSP become available cheap :-(
this forum wil be the first to know.
Remind me not to vote next time,no wonder politics is in such a state !
Sorry peeps,rant over,how you getting on with your DSP 'Mostly'
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I wonder who we can complain to? It's a classic case of too much power corrupting the people involved. It took me three attempts over a period spanning three months to get a response from an individual. When I replied to that individual asking for a little more basic information, I received no response. My next step will be to email that person again, pointing out that the last information they gave me was bullshit and asking them who I should complain to. Hopefully that will provoke a response.
The only positive from my point of view is that I can feel a little bit smug about my decision back in January to give up on the illusive subsidy and just jump in anyway.
That said, my ownership experience has been rubbish because I've only had the bike two months and it's spent almost half of that time off the road! If I wanted to ride around on a Suzuki Gladius, I would have bought one!
Streetbike have been great as always, but I'm sure their goodwill can only go so far. They've definitely made a significant loss on my bike when you consider all the time and miles they've put into it. I doubt that whatever compensation they're getting from Zero will cover all their expenses for the warranty work.
Despite the problems and our incompetent government, I love the bike itself. If you can focus on that, then I'd stick with it. You can only count on about 65 miles range, but if that's more than enough then go for it. I'm confident that once my bike is back I'll get a clear run of reliability for a while. I've been a bit unlucky, that's all. Ride it for what it was built for; commuting and green laning, get it fixed when it breaks and you'll love it! I miss mine when it's not available and that's as good a test as anything.
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Hi all,
Strange you have been waiting a long time to hear back from OLEV. I've had two correspondences with them, one with Tim, another with John. Before I even knew this forum existed, I had emailed John, so when I saw this forum I knew they must be getting bugged by a lot of people about this. Strange how politics moves at such a glacial pace...
21st Mar 2016:
"Dear Will
Thanks for your email. The quick answer is that no this has not been abandoned, we are still waiting for approval from Ministers before making an announcement. I appreciate the uncertainty and frustration that this prolonged delay is causing. As my colleague Tim Ward said, you can keep up to date with any announcements by following our Twitter account: @OLEVgovuk or by visiting our website at www.gov.uk/olev (http://www.gov.uk/olev)
Your sincerely,
John"
I agree with others here; may be simpler to just buy the damn bike now rather than hold our breath for this thing to come in. But that's the least of my worries; I fear if they don't bring a grant in, there's a risk zero pulls out of the UK again?
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Thanks Will for posting what they've said to you..........they've been spinning the approval line from ministers for quite some time now,its getting ridiculous.
I've put a freedom of information request in,to try and get to the bottom of a possible date something might happen,but I'm not holding my breath
I think your right,if they don't buck their ideas up,Zero could pull out for a second time,there's no accountability with government, especially in these frustrating circumstances, obviously they are in no rush to get this done !
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Oh yeah,and if Zero pull out for a second time,I doubt they'll be back ,and that won't be good for everyone.......
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there's no accountability with government, especially in these frustrating circumstances, obviously they are in no rush to get this done !
They are accountable alright but to their financiers, in this case the legacy oil lobby, not to their electorate.
This government has shown no real leadership at all to solve Britain's problems. We choke on fumes.
It is a self serving mouthpeice for lobbying legacy industries and has a nose for following their money from infront.
It is all there in the name OLEV -Office for Low Emission Vehicles. Now OZEV could have been an Office of Zero Emission Vehicles yes? But that would not have allowed the oil lobby to get their feet under the table to disrupt the truly disruptive EV with the oily phEV attempt at maintaining the status quo alternative.
I use lower case for plug in and hybrid as some have such small batteries as to be a joke.
Can I suggest we all call OLEV out in any communications with them on what it has actualy proved to be- OiLEV creating Oily EVs :'(
OiLEV are also resonsible for our national charge network being totally unfit for purpose exactly as you would expect if our PM chancellor, cabinet and MPs and Civil Servants are taking bungs from the oil industry. That party will not end until it is forced upon them, watch for the non executive directorships being handed out to the main culprits once out of office....
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Its looking that way GBEV, lets hope we don't have a repeat of this....
http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/zero-motorcycles-pulls-out-of-uk/23942.html (http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/zero-motorcycles-pulls-out-of-uk/23942.html)
I'll keep making a nuisance of myself with OLEV, until my luck runs out with Streetbike....
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Yeah, it does seem the OLEV is hindered by far too much red tape to do their jobs properly. As for charging infrastructure, well, soon as we got our i3, we had to sign up for 3-4 different charging networks. Now got a handful of charging cards for different services. It is very daft. I mean, it seems to me the big war is between CCS and Chademo. We NEED some kind of standardisation, preferably CCS. We also need a SINGLE card/scheme that works, by law, on all charging points across the country.
By the way, if anyone's in the market for an FXS, Streetbike have an ex-demonstrator FXS going for about 8 grand, and a DSR for just under 11.5 grand. If you're waiting for the grant, you're taking a gamble. If the grant doesn't come in, and Zero pull out, chances are you're going to be paying considerably more than 8 grand in the long run.
I would personally wait. For all we know Zero could be keeping just as keen an eye on the situation as we are. If they still believe something may yet happen, then they probably aren't going anywhere. For all I know they could be selling just fine. Not only that, but I'm waiting for a look at the 2017 MR. If the '17 bikes come with stability control, I'm definitely going to wait. Considering we can get weeks of constant rain I REALLY can't wait for Zero to introduce MSC.
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I've just had another response from John at OiLEV. Same story as others have reported; a reassurance that the grant is still in the wings and that they're waiting for approval from ministers before they can make an announcement. I've asked him for a steer on who we can chase at this stage and pointed out that the grant is over four years late. Arguably, they should have provided an incentive long before that! A decade ago?
Apparently battery prices dropped by 30% last year overall. With all the development and increased production we should see prices tumble further. At this rate there won't be a need for a subsidy! Even so, I'd still like to see the price of electric bikes sink well below that of ICE bikes. A subsidy would help that happen sooner. We need to get to the point where buying an ICE bike is the more expensive option right from the start, without having to wait for years to recoup expenses due to low maintenance.
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You should inform your politicians that anything they do to encourage the purchase of electric motorcycles by motorcycle enthusiasts will help to make their neighborhoods quiet again. And that would certainly be worth a pound or two of taxpayer contributions to the cause. ;)
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The trouble here is our self serving political representatives can't hear motorcycles whilst driving in "their" neighbourhoods in insulated private "his and hers" 4 wheel drive german panzer wagons in the shires.
So the only thing they are interested in is not having more motorcycles of any sort on the road at all, noisy or quiet, to stop them feeling the bump as they drive over us having failed to look out and having mistaken us for a pile of horse shit on their country lanes!
Motorcycles represent freedom in Britain which is dangerous when out political leaders are all oppressors out to oppress us regardless of their colour of political rosette.
I drive a white police Pan European and wear a white helmet and high viz jacket to deliberately look like a cop. It is the fastes thing from A to B for the concious, breathing and sighted who are very curteous to me.
The local village gentry male of female can't work out, when I am coming the other way on a single track road, that their shiny new 4x4 is able to put 2 wheels on the grass without causing it any damage.
I often politely ask them to get their heads out of their anuses before getting behind the wheel of a 3 tonne tank but strangely they don't seem to understand my politeness :) A cull is long overdue...
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Very entertaining GBEV not much hope for the subsidy any time soon then :-)
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No time soon then....
https://mobile.twitter.com/testpilot19/status/715648715181199360?p=v
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Also got a response to my Freedom of Information request today
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/electric_motorcycle_plug_in_gran (https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/electric_motorcycle_plug_in_gran)
The department doesn't have the information on a known date for the grant .......
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It's just bullshit at every turn really. How utterly disappointing. Time to act I'd say. Those DSP bikes are still a great deal with the warranty and Streetbike behind them. As a bonus you might just get a week or two riding around on their Gladius while they replace your first charger too! Expect it to fail and you won't be disappointed. ;-)
I hope you go for it. I love mine. :)
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Just reading through this thread folks.
I am currently in pre-production on a documentary that features a Zero motorcycle in the UK. Production Starts May 25th.
As part of this story I would be happy to look at interviewing some officials with regard to tackling this issue in the documentary.
Any ideas as to who would be worth speaking to?
Andy.
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That would be fantastic if you could put those accountable in the spotlight Andy.
I know of Andrew Jones’s , Conservative MP, under secretary for Department for Transport I believe ? and I've also had dealings with Tim Ward at OLEV.
If you get anything more than the line they keep spinning on the delay of the subsidy,it would be immense.I think its only something like your documentary that would hold those in the position of influence to account ,may the force be with you :-)
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Drop this guy a line:
Mr John McVeagh | Policy Advisor, Program Office, Office for Low Emission Vehicles
1/29- 33 GMH
E john.mcveagh@olev.gsi.gov.uk
Also worth having a word with Jason Brunt at Streetbike.
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I feel a sort of animated monty python sketch would be ideal.
featuring OLEV the Office of Low Expectations and Vision...
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+1 Monty Python would be perfect! Great acronym too.
Here's another:
Oil Lobby Executives' Volition
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Office for Lying to Every Voter
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You get the impression they're not highly thought of lol
https://mobile.twitter.com/izbaron/status/715806516922679296?p=v
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From Streetbike today,they've been outstanding,above and beyond.........
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=5190.135 (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=5190.135)
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No change there then lol
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-05-10.37010.h&s=Motorcycles+Electric+Vehicles (http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-05-10.37010.h&s=Motorcycles+Electric+Vehicles)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional electric motorcycles his Department expects to register as a result of the introduction of the motorcycle plug-in scheme.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 12 May 2016, cW)
Andrew JonesParliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Sales of electric motorcycles in the UK rose by 63% in 2015. The Government remains committed to supporting the zero emission motorcycle industry, we are assessing options to support this growing market and will make an announcement as soon as is practical
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I think its unlikely for anything to happen soon with this (with all the EU turmoil).
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Yup, just another excuse for them to do nothing. Society just took a leap back to the seventies...
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Plus, with the pound and the euro tanking against the dollar, the cost of Zeros in Europe is not going to go down, but sales probably will. :(
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Agreed on both fronts, A bad outcome for all really!
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Not sure if this is news exactly, more rumour...
I just got off the phone from a UK Zero dealer (21st Moto in Swanley, Kent) and apparently in a recent chat with Zero they said that the UK grant is definitely happening, just not sure when.
Nothing more concrete that that unfortunately. Decide for yourself whether that's news or rehashed out of date info...
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Office for Lying to Every Voter
ROFL, Keep this up Bonkers, it took me an age to think of the Office for Low Expectations and Vision and you have come up with another 2 true gems ;D ;D ;D maybe a few more could chime in here then we can send a message to OLEV.
I need a reason to laugh a bit at the moment don't we all?
Better to laugh at our political procrastinators expense eh? It saddens me they can both afford it and simoultaneously totally deserve ridicule.
How about Oil Lobby's Exhorting Villains...
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Thanks GBEV.
It's nothing short of corruption. They're just not accountable enough to the public and yet they're meant to be civil servants...
I've written to my local MP again in the last few days. She has written to Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy requesting an update on any timescale for the implementation of this subsidy.
I'll post the response but I doubt it'll be any more than the usual BS.
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I send a FOI request to the Department of Transport. I'll also post here if it's worth reading.
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I just got a reply to an email to OLEV about the current state of the scheme. A useless canned reply.
Thank you for your email and please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I can assure you that this Government remains committed to supporting the zero emission motorcycle industry. We will provide further information on the next steps for the proposed grant scheme as soon as they are known. You can keep up to date with all our announcements here:@OLEVgovuk
My reply:
Thanks for taking the time to reply. However, that really doesn't leave me any wiser as to how this is progressing or if it is at all. Is there anyone who does have information on this?
Surely it can't be that hard to add motorcycles to the existing car/van scheme? All they would need is an appropriate category.
I already follow the Twitter account. There are never any announcements. It just seems to retweet stuff, add nothing informative of its own and ignore relevant questions. There is a written Twitter policy, but this seems to be completely ignored.
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Well done for trying Fred. I've lost all confidence in the government. Robert Llewellyn interviewed the head of OLEV on his Fully Charged channel quite recently. If I get round to it, I might write to him. I'm starting to see this as just more discrimination against motorcyclists. There's a motorcycle organisation that is supposed to support the interests of bikers. It's name escapes me, but they might be worth contacting too. I'd like to see a bike magazine or newspaper pick this story up. Nobody seems bothered.
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Well done for trying Fred. I've lost all confidence in the government. Robert Llewellyn interviewed the head of OLEV on his Fully Charged channel quite recently. If I get round to it, I might write to him. I'm starting to see this as just more discrimination against motorcyclists. There's a motorcycle organisation that is supposed to support the interests of bikers. It's name escapes me, but they might be worth contacting too. I'd like to see a bike magazine or newspaper pick this story up. Nobody seems bothered.
The BMF is the better bike organisation to check in with.
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More from John McVeigh:
We are waiting for Ministers to give us a steer on the final details of the scheme and hope to make an announcement shortly, although the exact timing is for Ministers to decide. We are unable to announce anything until this happens. I appreciate that this is not providing the clarity that you would wish. All OLEV announcements are made via our website (www.olev.gsi.gov.uk) and you can sign up to notified of them by email or RSS feed. I am really sorry I can be more helpful.
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FOI request only partially fulfilled, (I'm still reeling the excuses for non-disclosure) Desmog.uk has begun their expose.
Revealed: Exxon’s Lobbying Against Electric Vehicles in the UK
By Kyla Mandel • Monday, September 12, 2016 - 00:00
http://www.desmog.uk/2016/09/12/revealed-exxon-mobil-lobbying-against-electric-vehicles-uk (http://www.desmog.uk/2016/09/12/revealed-exxon-mobil-lobbying-against-electric-vehicles-uk)
“Switching transportation from petroleum to renewable or alternative fuels is not the most cost-effective way to reduce GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions.â€
The US has the same problem, courtesy of the Koch Brothers.
http://www.kochvsclean.com/koch-vs-clean/ (http://www.kochvsclean.com/koch-vs-clean/)
This is the message that ExxonMobil has delivered to the UK Department for Transport (DfT) in three separate presentations since the Paris climate deal was agreed last December...
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Is something finally happening?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/35-million-boost-for-ultra-low-emission-vehicles
In addition, an initial £3.75 million is being made available for motorcycle and scooter riders who want to want to go green, providing them with up to 20% off the cost of an electric motorcycle or scooter. Buyers will be able to claim a maximum discount of £1,500.
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Is something finally happening?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/35-million-boost-for-ultra-low-emission-vehicles (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/35-million-boost-for-ultra-low-emission-vehicles)
In addition, an initial £3.75 million is being made available for motorcycle and scooter riders who want to want to go green, providing them with up to 20% off the cost of an electric motorcycle or scooter. Buyers will be able to claim a maximum discount of £1,500.
FINALLY! ::)
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You might notice that whilst there is some more information, there's not much detail, caveats like "up to 20â„…" and no dates. Still encouraging though.
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You might notice that whilst there is some more information, there's not much detail, caveats like "up to 20â„…" and no dates. Still encouraging though.
It's finally here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plug-in-motorcycle-grant-eligibility (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plug-in-motorcycle-grant-eligibility) from the lion's mouth
Still no word on the amount, but pretty sure I read somewhere that it's 20% of the value of the bike up to a maximum of 1,500
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Yes, those are the amounts. I'm guessing it's now down to Zero to register their bikes to be eligible. The discount is apparently all handled by the dealer so you just see a cheaper price on your new bike purchase.
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Well done for trying Fred. I've lost all confidence in the government. Robert Llewellyn interviewed the head of OLEV on his Fully Charged channel quite recently. If I get round to it, I might write to him. I'm starting to see this as just more discrimination against motorcyclists. There's a motorcycle organisation that is supposed to support the interests of bikers. It's name escapes me, but they might be worth contacting too. I'd like to see a bike magazine or newspaper pick this story up. Nobody seems bothered.
The BMF is the better bike organisation to check in with.
Thanks Justin, I will probably join them at some point.
In the meantime, I'm bumping this topic with this news:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/35-million-boost-for-ultra-low-emission-vehicles
At long last! The only thing I'm not sure about is exactly when this will be available for new Zero purchases. Another member has kindly posted this link in the news section. He mentioned the manufacturers have to register. Hopefully that's the only delay and it'll be weeks rather than months.
I don't want to sound ungrateful or too cynical, but I feel this has to be said:
This subsidy is nothing more than knocking the VAT off. The government is lying when it claims there's a £3.75m budget because they're not spending any money. They're simply forfeiting revenue on vehicles that, in many cases, wouldn't be purchased otherwise. In fact, on a new Zero, the VAT is going to be over £2,000 so they're still quids in.
I think the bigger crime is not implementing this subsidy back in 2012 when it was needed the most. Perhaps zero wouldn't have left the UK. The government certainly talked about a subsidy back then, but did nothing. It's such a simple and obvious thing to do and yet they let us all down. Multiple times. It's pathetic.
I'm happy for everyone who's considering a purchase in the UK. Now is a great time to get a deal on a 2016 model or wait until after Christmas and pick up next year's model.
I hope by bumping this topic a few more will get notified.
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Hmm, due to the topic not refreshing in tapatalk, I've just noticed a few actually beat me to the bump! Forgive me for being a bit war weary on this topic. I gave up on the subsidy back in January when the bullshit went cold. I'm glad I did but I'm also very happy for those that can take advantage of the subsidy at long last. I'm also happy for Streetbike, the other dealers and zero themselves. Hopefully we'll see some stronger sales figures which is good for us all.
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For anyone who's interested, here's the guidance:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plug-in-motorcycle-grant-eligibility/plug-in-motorcycle-grant-eligibility
It looks like Zero won't have any trouble complying. I hope someone at Zero is or already has filled in the application pack.
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So all they do is knock the VAT off? Hasn't Norway been doing this to all their EVs for years now? And what takes the piss is this news came in literally a week after I ordered my FXS from SoManyBikes in Oldham
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That is annoying, WD. If any of us could trust anything the government said, you might have been advised to hold off for a little while. They are a law unto themselves. Streetbike were fed bullshit from sources close to the decision makers. It caused a fair bit of trouble last year; people holding off, Streetbike ordering bikes in from HQ and the bikes not selling through.
Is it too late? If your bike hasn't been registered yet, there may be a chance.
I think you still pay the full VAT, but they apply a 20% discount to the total with VAT. Up to that 1,500 cap.
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Just had email confirmation from Zero that they are in the process of getting the bikes approved for the subsidy. Maybe this will be announced properly along with the 2017 models (in a few weeks).
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
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Yeah it's too late now. Zero is only interested in applying the 2017 range for the subsidy. For those of you on the hook to get a Zero, it looks like the 2017 range will be your opportunity.
In other, unrelated news, I don't even have an A2 license. Lol. I'm going to be taking my modules 1 and 2 ON the Zero, possibly making me the first person in the country to pass their motorbike test on an electric motorcycle. Should be interesting.
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From an email from Zero
Our complete 2017 model line is on display at the Motorcycle Live show in Birmingham.
A few reasons to drop by:
More torque than ever
New aesthetics
A special show offer
Starting January 1st, new Zero Motorcycles shall be eligible for a government grant of £ 1,500, pending final approval.
Anyone been and know what the show offer is? I'm almost certain to order a 2017 FXS. I won't be going to Birmingham (from Surrey) just to see the new models, but might if there was a decent offer going on.
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Dunno. Give someone like Streetbike a call, they'd probably know.
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Final approval? Lol! Let's hope that Jan 1st date doesn't get busted like it did a year ago. I wonder if Streetbike have any 2014 DSP bikes left? They'd be quite a bargain at around £5,200 with the subsidy.
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I think that each model has to be registered to be eligible, so nothing prior to 2017 models (even if new) would get the grant. I may be wrong though.
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It seems my comment above about the grant only applying to 2017 models isn't correct.
I just ordered a new 2016 FXS for delivery in January. Zero had a few left at a £1,500 discount over the 2017 models. With the £1,500 grant that brought the price down to £8,390. At that price (and a reasonable trade-in on my Aprilia Dorsodoro) I just couldn't resist any longer.
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Congrats Fred. When are you getting the bike? I thought the subsidy wasn't going live until Jan.
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It seems my comment above about the grant only applying to 2017 models isn't correct.
I just ordered a new 2016 FXS for delivery in January. Zero had a few left at a £1,500 discount over the 2017 models. With the £1,500 grant that brought the price down to £8,390. At that price (and a reasonable trade-in on my Aprilia Dorsodoro) I just couldn't resist any longer.
Welcome to the nutter club of EV bikers.
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The bike will arrive at the dealer and be registered in January, so the subsidy will apply.
I also heard of a guy who bought a demo bike and also qualified for the subsidy, as the bike has only been used on trade plates so is currently unregistered.
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It seems the subsidy is still a mess. It was supposed to start on 1st January. So why do I now have a FXS that I've bought mid December sitting at the dealer unable to be registered yet?
Initially it took 4 weeks for Zero to send the documentation for my bike. (Longer than shipping the bike itself.) Now it turns out that the guys at Zero Europe are still trying to get the bike signed up to be applicable for the £1500 UK grant! It should only take a few more days, but I now have insurance that expires on my current bike this weekend and no bike to replace it. (I had to pick a day to transfer insurance over.)
Whilst it does seem to be down to the UK government dragging their heels, it's not great that Zero hadn't let their dealers know this.
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A year late and they still can't keep to a deadline. I'm sorry to hear you've been messed about Fred.