Ministers were today warned not to scrap £5,000 grants to buy electric cars as part of an energy revolution in Britain.
Lord Turner, chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, said the subsidies were vital to help tackle pollution.
The Government is believed to be considering scaling back plans to invest £260 million to encourage a switch to electric cars as ministers tackle the £155 billion deficit.
But asked about the £5,000 grants on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lord Turner said: "That's the amount which is set at the moment. We would like to see that preserved."
London is set to lead the move to electric cars with thousands of recharging points being set up across the capital.
Lord Turner added: "There is a role for the Government in subsidising some elements of the recharging infrastructure and secondly getting a pump-priming subsidy to the early buyers of electric cars."
