AA President Edmund King has warned that ending congestion charge exemption for green vehicles could worsen air quality.

In a letter seen by the London Evening Standard, Mr King urged London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan to rethink of plans to axe the congestion charge exemption for electric vehicles, adding that the decision has come too soon and “could backfire on London’s drivers, EV uptake, air quality and your admirable ambition to be the first EV-ready global city.”

The Mayor is expected to confirm later this week that the so called Cleaner Vehicle Discount (CVD), which means EV drivers do not have to pay to enter central London will end in the New Year. Drivers of fully electric plug-in cars will have to pay £13.50, a 25% discount to the £18 full rate, while EV van drivers will be saddled with a £9 daily charge.

TfL has been conducting a consultation on the the proposals with the result due to be revealed as soon as Friday

But in his letter King said: “There is still some considerable way to go for the conditions for drivers to support the switch to EVs to be universally met.”

He cites analysis of the costs and practical drawbacks of owning an EV conducted by the AA “indicating that while EVs are a viable and attractive option for some, significant barriers remain for mass adoption .

The motoring organisation’s inaugural Readiness Rating stands at 47.5 out of 100 suggesting that it would be premature to withdraw incentives to switching to EVS

His comments echo the concerns about the move raised by The Standard, through our “Leading the Charge” campaign.

(Pic: Yay Images)