The grant scheme for environmentally friendly vehicles has been extended by another €0.5 million, the Transport Ministry said.

It said on Saturday the aim of the scheme was to improve air quality levels by reducing the number of old motor vehicles from Malta’s roads and by promoting the purchase of battery electric vehicles and battery electric quadricycles.

The scheme was launched earlier this year through Transport Malta and had an allocation of €0.5 million. All applications submitted between January and July were accommodated and an additional 98 electric vehicles were registered on Maltese roads.

Minister Ian Borg said his ministry was committed to deliver a transport sector which befitted the country and its people.

“Our work consists not only of improved infrastructural design and investment in public transportation, but also in incentivising the people of Malta and Gozo to invest in cleaner alternatives for their private transportation needs.”

Through the scheme, should an eligible applicant not scrap another vehicle, they would benefit from €2,500 when registering a new or used battery electric quadricycle, €4,000 upon registering an imported second-hand battery electric/plug-in hybrid M1 and N1 vehicle not older than 36 months, with not more than 15,000km on the odometer, and €6,000 upon registering a new battery electric/plug-in hybrid M1 and N1 vehicle.

Should eligible parties register a new battery electric/plug-in hybrid M1 and N1 vehicle when another vehicle with an internal combustion engine having at least 10 years from the year of manufacture was de-registered and scrapped at an authorised destruction facility, they would benefit from €7,000.

The government was also giving up to €200,000 to commercial companies to change their vehicle fleet from internal combustion to electric. Terms and conditions applied in all cases.

The grant is applicable to private car owners, registered NGOs, the business community and local councils.

Applications, the ministry said, were on a first come, first served basis. Companies that had already benefited from last year’s scheme on electric vehicles were eligible to benefit again if they were in line with state aid regulations.

Application forms could collected from the Vehicle Licensing Unit within Transport Malta, A3 Towers, Paola or from here.