The Dutch government is planning to make road tax dependent on the size of vehicles rather than their weight, in an effort to stimulate the use of electric cars.

Electric cars are heavier than petrol-powered ones because of their batteries, which means they currently pay more road tax than more polluting vehicles.

The measure is one of a package of ideas drawn up by climate minister Sophie Hermans to meet environmental targets, which critics have already been quick to condemn.

Hermans has described the package, which also includes various financial measures and tax cuts to support industry, as both “realistic” and “forward-looking.”

However, the impact of her plans has not yet been assessed by government think-tanks, and a strategy to tackle the shortage of capacity on the national grid will not be published until later this year.

Civil servants have already calculated that those improvements will cost around €200 billion, and that money has not yet been reserved.

In addition, an action plan to win back support for offshore wind farms is also not due until the summer.

The NRC said in its analysis of the plans that they illustrate how climate change is not a priority for the current right-wing government. The Volkskrant said Hermans had bowed down to political pressure and gone for an “anti-climate” strategy.

Targets

Last year, the government’s environmental assessment agency PBL said the Netherlands is extremely unlikely to achieve its climate targets, and the likelihood is becoming more remote as time passes.

The current plans would make a reduction of 44% to 52% the maximum achievable, the PBL said in October, adding that no sectors are currently on target.

It also said the right-wing administration’s plans to increase motorway speed limits, scrap measures to reduce car use, make solar panels less attractive, and leave energy taxes unchanged will not help.