Nissan wants more carrots to entice people into electric cars, instead of forcing drivers to do so through legislation.
Nissan does not believe that coercion is the right way to get people to switch to electric cars. Electric cars are still a divisive issue.
And for many, jumping into an electric car is still too big a step at this point. Just as many can't see themselves in an electric car at all, even though policies in several countries will force them to.
The problem has led several car manufacturers to urge governments in Europe to reintroduce tax subsidies for electric cars.
Although the scheme still exists in countries like Denmark and Norway, countries like Germany and Sweden have long since backed out of the idea of giving people money to buy electric cars.
The same applies in England. And Gareth Dunsmore, head of e-micromobility at Nissan, doesn't think that's very cool.
At a conference that was specifically about electric cars, he was told that 'less sticks and more carrots' are needed if people are to choose the electric car instead of the other way around.
This is what Top Gear writes.
In England, it has been a long time since the public subsidy for plug-in hybrid cars disappeared, and at the beginning of April, people in electric cars will now also have to pay road tolls.
Although most people agree that all cars on the road should pay tolls regardless of powertrain, Nissan still believes that making electric cars more expensive is wrong.
And several of Nissan's competitors agree with this. According to a new analysis from Kia, owning an electric car will cost a full 600 pounds more per year.
The amount, which corresponds to 5,400 Danish kroner, does not exactly send a signal in the eyes of car manufacturers that drivers should rush to throw away their old gasoline/diesel car in exchange for an electric car.
In fact, car manufacturers believe that the increased taxes are reason enough for fewer people to choose an electric car.
Mike Hawes, head of the association of car brands in England, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), believes that the government should raise the limit for when tax must be paid on electric cars.
From April 15, 2025, the limit will be 40,000 pounds, equivalent to 350,000 kroner. But that limit is so low that electric cars will become too expensive, Hawes believes. The limit, he believes, should therefore be raised to 60,000 pounds.
Kia is also tired of having to give drivers huge discounts because there is a billion-dollar bill to pay if not enough electric cars are sold in England.
Furthermore, car brands and their importers must take into account that billions must also be paid for the development that electric cars have been and are undergoing.
– We give incentives and discounts on the best technology we have invested billions in. It's just a bit perverse right now, says the management of the English Kia importer.
David George, managing director of BMW UK, agrees. He is also tired of having to give discounts on electric cars because demand can't keep up with politicians' own rules.
– In general, we have invested a huge amount in driving the transition, and what we feel now is that the demand from our customers is not keeping up with the legislation.
However, there are indications that the British government is ready to undo at least parts of its own legislation. New hybrid cars were supposed to be banned in 2030, but now Prime Minister Kier Starmer is apparently ready to undo that deadline. Read more about it here .
