Experts are calling on the Government to lease electric cars to rural drivers to help increase the uptake of EVs and support those outside of larger towns and cities.
Climate charity Possible has put forward proposals that would see care workers living in rural areas benefit from cheap leases for electric vehicles.
It highlighted how one care worker drove an average of four hours per day, spending between £100 and £150 a month on petrol.
Data from the charity found that 30 per cent of home care workers spend more than £150 on fuel every month, with half spending at least £100.
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The scheme could help save drivers around £500 a year
GETTYAs a result of expensive motoring prices and the general cost of living crisis, many drivers have been forced to consider where they scrap their cars because they cannot afford them.
It is estimated that 900,000 home care workers account for an estimated four million miles driven every day, or 1.5 billion miles a year.
Hirra Khan Adeogun, Co-director of Possible, stated that a similar social leasing trial had been used in France, adding that “there is an urgent need to take action on this now”.
The French scheme allowed low-income households to use an electric car for under £90 a month and included the cost of insurance and maintenance.
She said public transport was always a great option for those living in rural areas if they have access, although electric vehicles or other micro mobility vehicles could be a solution.
The expert added: “The financial and administrative burden of buying, owning, insuring and maintaining vehicles should be shouldered by the employers and agencies that require their employees and workers to use them.
“When the vehicle is not being used by one carer, it should be used by another, ensuring that vehicles are sufficiently meeting the need and resulting in fewer cars overall.
“This falls far out of the remit of this specific report but is the sort of lateral solution that the climate crisis demands of us.”
A similar scheme is available for the NHS, although this is only available to salaried staff and not contractors.
Data from Possible estimated that care home staff could save up to £500 a year when driving to work, with the amount depending on which tariff they use.
Izzy Romilly, sustainable transport campaign manager at Possible, said: “With a Government-backed social leasing scheme, care workers would be able to avoid debt and reduce their travel costs while helping to cut emissions and caring for the most vulnerable people in the country.
“This is no-brainer climate policy, putting electric vehicles into the parts of society where they are most needed.
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GETTY“We can cut carbon while putting more money in the pockets of the people doing some of the world’s most important work.”