THERE are no plans in Jersey to follow the UK by reintroducing grants to buy electric cars – five years before a proposed ban on the importation and registration of petrol and diesel vehicles new to the Island.
This week, the UK announced that motorists will be given up to £3,750 to switch to an electric vehicle, resurrecting a scheme that was scrapped in June 2022.
Jersey ran its own incentive scheme, between August 2023 and last December, with a budget of £4.3m. Applicants could receive up to £3,500 towards the purchase of a new or used electric vehicle and total of 1,210 vehicles were bought.
Of these, more than 80% were for second-hand vehicles imported to Jersey and the average cost of the cars receiving grant funding was £23,183.
But despite publishing the results of a survey this week, which showed that 92% of respondents ranked their overall experience of the incentive eight out of 10 or above, there is no current budget for it to continue.
I will continue to monitor the numbers of electric vehicles being registered in the Island and consider introducing targeted support in the future as necessary
Environment minister steve luce
The scheme was part of the government’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap, which has key targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 68% by 2030, 78% by 2035 and achieving net-zero by 2050.
Jersey’s emissions data is always two years in arrears so, in 2023, greenhouse gases were down 48% since 1990, meaning that the Island will have to cut its emissions by 20% in the next five to seven years to stay on target.
Environment Minister Steve Luce said: “The Electric Vehicle Purchase Incentive was a big success, and I was particularly pleased that 81% of grants went to second hand vehicles new to Jersey.
“At the current time there are no plans to run a new EV purchase incentive, but the electric charger incentive remains open.
“I will continue to monitor the numbers of electric vehicles being registered in the Island and consider introducing targeted support in the future as necessary.”
The ban on all new registrations of fossil-fuel burning vehicles from 2030 remains in place but the government is planning to launch a consultation later this year to seek views on how that might be achieved and how such anomalies as classic cars and hybrids are affected.
The UK has the same target, although second-hand cars are not included in its proposed ban.
The Labour government updated its position in April, with new hybrids now being banned from 2035, new targets for manufacturers, and an exemption for high-performance cars.
The first phase of Jersey’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap was due to conclude at the end of this year. It has had a £23m budget which has been mostly funded through fuel duty. £5.9m was left in the pot at the beginning of this year.
With a new Assembly to be elected next June, the current Council of Ministers has decided to extend the first phase and launch a new three-year period of the roadmap in 2027, taking it to the end of 2030.
An update on progress of the Roadmap is expected in the next couple of weeks.
As well as address transport – which remains the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Jersey, at 45% – the government has also launched a heating system incentive scheme, which is ongoing.
The target in the Roadmap was for 1,000 low-carbon heating systems to be installed by the end of this year but, so far, 590 have been fitted as part of the scheme, which is likely to extend into 2026.
A ban on new fossil-fuel-burning heating systems was due to come into force next year but that has been delayed.
