It’s pretty easy to spot a foreign driver on the road, before you get near them and see their steering wheel on the wrong side, you notice their plates are different.

This isn’t a bad thing, I’d personally rather drive my own car in another country, even if it meant having a less than optimal driving position. It also gives us a clear indication that they may have a restricted view, therefore you may allow them a bit of extra room. If we can use number plates to identify drivers from different nations, should we use them to identify our eco-friendly warriors on the road too?

Hidden heroes

Ask the average motorist, and I bet they couldn’t pick an e-Golf from a group of similar Golfs. Designers have purposely wrapped our shiny new EVs in standard, old bodies so they don’t stand out. We’re humble people, bar the few who like to wrap their Lamborghinis in velvet or stick fart cannons on their Clio’s, we generally like to pootle along unnoticed.

This shouldn’t be the case however, those who drive ultra-low emission cars should be proud of the effort they’re making, not only are they doing their bit for the environment, they could also be working towards making battery operated vehicles the norm!

Pick them out in a crowd

Something as simple as a Green number plate, or even a green border, would help to pick out our eco-warriors from the usual mundane stream of traffic. This would highlight the variety of eco-friendly vehicles we have on our roads. There are people who still believe Tesla are the only company to produce fully electric cars… This would also make it easier to enforce parking fines for those who selfishly choose to park their diesel guzzler in an EV charging spot.

Deserved recognition

By being more aware of the number of Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles on our roads, people would also begin to understand the other benefits these vehicles offer; such as tax incentives, lower fuelling costs and an ever-increasing charging network.

These plates would not only highlight those who choose to push ULEVs, but also show just how far we’ve progressed. From the Toyota Prius being the only widely known hybrid, to people now recognising cars with alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen!