The UK's government is apparently planning to introduce a new scrappage scheme designed to encourage road users to trade in their diesel and petrol cars and swap to electric vehicles.
The scheme could see drivers receive up to £6,000 for their old vehicles, and could be key both to meeting environmental goals and to resuscitating the motor industry, which has ground to a near-total halt while the national health situation unfolds.
The Telegraph has the scoop, and reports that Boris Johnson is planning to unveil the policy in a speech scheduled for July 6, alongside other measures intended to help the British economy to restart. He will apparently be joined by the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, for a statement on the health of the economy.
The UK already has a grant that discounts the price of many "plug-in cars" as it terms them, by up to £3,000 - it's unclear how this scrappage scheme would interact with that. Under the most optimistic version, it's possible that you could get both bonuses to claim a total of £9,000, although it's entirely possible that one will invalidate the other.
Given that the UK is now aiming at banning the sale of any new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars by 2035, it's nonetheless good to see that a scheme's likely to be in the pipeline to also clear some of the older vehicles on roads, in favour of less polluting alternatives.
With no official confirmation of the policy at this stage, it'll also remain to be seen what details accompany its potential announcement, if and when it comes.