G-Wiz importer calls for U.K. green car incentive to begin now

Earlier this week, the government in the U.K. announced a £250 million incentive program that would offer rebates of up to £5,000 for purchases of full electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. Although that seems like a nice way to boost electric car sales in the UK, GoinGreen, the UK importer for the G-Wiz sounds unconvinced. The program isn't scheduled to begin until 2011, which is when vehicles like the plug-in Toyota Prius and Vauxhall Ampera (the version of the Chevy Volt that will be available in the UK) are expected to hit the market, so it won't help drivers in the UK who want to buy an electric vehicle right now.

According to a company spokesperson:

Why wait two years when other countries already have subsidies? There is now a danger that the proposals will actually stall the market for electric vehicles over the next two years. If the government really wants people to go green, then why not do it now?

We don't necessarily have anything against the two-seat G-Wiz, which recently got an upgrade to lithium ion batteries that push its range up to 75 miles and its top speed to 51 mph, but it's definitely not a vehicle with as much mass-market appeal as something like the Ampera, which can seat 4 occupants and surpass any speed limit in all of Europe. We'd hazard a guess that this is why the government's program is timed to coincide with the launch of mainstream electric vehicles.

[Source: Autocar]