Tomorrow (Sept 1) sees not only the introduction of the 70 plate for brand new cars, but also the distinctive green flash specific to electric vehicles. Sure enough, Nissan has taken the opportunity to show a Leaf wearing a 70 plate with a green stripe on it.
Announced in June by transport secretary Grant Schapps, the simple idea is to make green cars instantly recognisable, raising their visibility and profile and, in theory, encouraging others to buy one. The green flash will always appear on the left hand side of the plate, front and rear.
Furthermore, the move will help local councils to initiate cheap parking schemes and ultra-low emissions zones for electric cars. The current network of APNR cameras (number plate recognition) could be used to allow EVs into bus lanes and special car pool lanes, which would inevitably drive up sales.
Critics have pointed out how easy it would be for anyone to simply have a plate made up with a green flash on it to indulge in cheap parking or free entry into a low emission zone, although the idea that someone would get away with that is fanciful; councils already use number plate recognition linked to the DVLA’s national database to establish which cars are eligible for eco schemes. And to dish out parking fines, etc.
Jim Holder, Editor of What Car?, argues that the green flashes are unnecessary and unlikely to encourage more into EVs, saying that buyers choose them already “without feeling the need to virtue signal through extrovert styling flourishes.”
“It seems a shame…that the green number plate seeks to introduce an element of difference into a market where it's not required. Electric vehicles are set to become the norm in the short-term, so why make them stand out as an oddity this way?” he added.
Indeed, while EV sales still represent a fraction of the new car market – just 1.6% in 2019 – their growth is rapid, representing a 4.7% share so far in 2020.
Keyword: Special green number plates for EVs from tomorrow