First look: 2020 Green numberplates for electric vehicles

Published 01 September 2020

New electric vehicles (EVs) registered from 1 September 2020 will be the first to feature a green 'flash' on their number plates. As 70-plate models are introduced, from today, Nissan has shared trial green numberplates to show EV drivers how they could look when they hit the road later this year.

From autumn onwards, EVs will have the conventional yellow plates on the rear, but the front plate will feature a green stripe on the left-hand side. The move aims to make zero-emissions cars more easily-identifiable for potential initiatives like cheaper parking and free entry into clean air zones.

The reg plate change, which will be introduced in autumn 2020, aims to incentivise the public to buy electric vehicles.

The scheme is part of the Government’s plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 - including the increase of car bans in city centres across the UK, and the 2035 ban on the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars.

However, privacy concerns have been raised in regards to the UK’s vast network of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. In January, the Government’s independent Surveillance Camera Commissioner previously warned green number plates could lead to "an unqualified extension to the role of ANPR".

In April, almost nine million private journeys were released onto the internet due to hackers breaching Sheffiled's ANPR network.

The leak was discovered by tech publication, The Register, which says hackers could've tracked individual vehicles through the city using their numberplates.

An exact date for the introduction of the green numberplates has yet to be announced but the Department of Transport confirmed today they will be arriving this autumn.

Comments

gavsmit on 3 September 2020

What utter ridiculous rubbish - "The move aims to make zero-emissions cars more easily-identifiable for potential initiatives like cheaper parking and free entry into clean air zones."

Like with all automated / lazy road law enforcement, those that usually obey the law (apart from the odd mistake like watching the road rather than constantly watching their speedo) and follow the rules are the only people ever likely to work with these stupid ideas.

The thousands of criminals that don't give a damn about rules or the law will of course abuse things like this - e.g. people with cloned number plates or the car is registered to a fictitious person or address.

I know it won't be long before I see a battered diesel or petrol car driving along with a green sticker on it's (probably cloned) front number plate and I bet whoever enforces the free parking or congestion charge exemption will let them get away with it because there's enough of the rest of us to pay for them!

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