Millions of electric cars predicted

By Shane Gladstone

Millions of car insurance customers could be buzzing about in electric vehicles by 2030, it has been predicted.

Top environmental advisers on the Climate Change Committee made the call as they unveiled their vision for Britain's future.

They said that by 2030 there will be more than 12 million electric cars and vans being driven on roads across Britain.

Meanwhile, the committee said the UK should aim to slash carbon emissions 45% by 2030.

In a bid to meet the target, the committee has announced plans for the country's fourth carbon budget from 2023.

It is also thought that by 2030 commuters on half the country's buses will be getting to work powered by hydrogen.

The call comes at a time when electric cars are capable of undertaking 80% of car journeys.

Committee chief executive David Kennedy said: "We are bringing the future to life. That's why it is so exciting for us. It is not abstract any more, it is real.

"Is it feasible for many millions of people to have an electric car in two years? No. But as you get further out, as the performance of these cars improves and the range gets longer, the cost of the batteries comes down and then it becomes feasible and we can be a lot more ambitious there."