A new fund has been created that will aim to encourage the increased take-up of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in cities across the country in the years ahead.

The Department for Transport has announced a £35 million investment that will be made available to four UK cities next year to bring about a significant rise in the level of provision for green vehicles.

This means all UK cities now have the opportunity to put together detailed plans for how this money would benefit their local residents and businesses, as well as proposing the myriad measures they would employ to do this.

Examples of the work that can be undertaken through this additional funding include the trialling and development of new technologies, investment in boosting charge point numbers for electric vehicles and encouraging more workplace schemes to provide greater access to ULEVs.

The new Go Ultra Low City Scheme will complement a range of other projects that are to be rolled out across UK cities in the coming months, such as the recent £30 million investment in low-emission buses and £20 million for greener taxi services.

Transport minister Baroness Kramer said: "This £35 million funding is an unequivocal signal from government that we are committed to improving air quality and making ultra-low emission vehicles a practical and viable choice for more people.

"I would like to encourage local authorities to take up this fantastic opportunity. This can help to transform people's quality of life in their cities and build a stronger economy."

Indeed, the government forecasts that by 2040 all vehicles on the nation's roads while be some form of ULEV, with a steady rise already witnessed in the uptake of these models in recent years.

The deadline for the submission of bids for the Go Ultra Low City Scheme has been set for February 20th, with all authorities intent on tendering for a portion of these funds expected to provide a detailed breakdown of how this considerable investment will lead to lower emissions across their area and be of benefit to local communities and the economy.

All winners are expected to be announced by the end of autumn 2015.

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This story was posted by Daniel Crosby, Assistant Marketing Executive at the Fuel Card Group.