But last month the grantwas scrappedwith immediate effect.
In fact, the government had been trying to scrap the grant completely for a while.
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And it is true that the market for electric vehicles is strengthening.
But that could quickly change.
Other countries which have withdrawn financial support for car buyers have seen adip in demandfor electric cars.
For now, the government is essentially saying it will switch towards supporting the charging infrastructure andcompany car buyers.
At first glance, targeting the purchase of company cars makes sense.
Lots of firms buy new cars, and their drivers tend to clock up more miles than private owners.
But it raises a big question over fairness.
Subsidising company cars provides savings to business owners, and employees who may benefit from company cartax breaks.
So far, so good for the relatively well off.
The government seems to have forgotten about helping the less well off into electric vehicles.
In Scotland, a newplanoffers interest-free loans to anyone looking to buy a new or used electric cars.
It will be interesting to see whether these ideas have the desired effect.
Meanwhile, the global car industry is being severely constrained by thechip shortage.
If they dont hit the targets they will be fined.
Unsurprisingly, the governments latest moves have notgone down wellwith a car industry struggling in a difficult economic climate.
