A leading councillor has prompted a political row after he claimed only "rich people" could afford to drive electric cars.
Graham Plant, deputy leader of Norfolk County Council, made the remarks at a meeting which was discussing whether such vehicles should receive a discount when it came to parking permits.
The Green Party has seized on his remarks, saying they undermine the strategy and stigmatised electric car drivers.
Mr Plant was speaking during a debate at the Norfolk Parking Partnership Joint Committee about increasing the cost of parking permits.
He said he would not want to discount them for electric car owners.
The Conservative said he was in favour of the county replicating Norwich policy of charging less for permits for smaller cars.
He said: "If we can give a discount for those who are making a contribution towards smaller CO2 by having a smaller car, I think that's a policy we could take up across Norfolk.
"What I don't want to do is do it for electric cars, because they're all rich. They are 50 to 60 grand each and they've got a lot of money.
"And I'm seeing across the piece, that if you've got an electric car, then everything is coming free to you and that's an incentive. But it's a little bit disingenuous when you've got a person who has got a small car and has got a small income paying more than someone who has got a lot of money."
However, fellow Conservative Paul Kunes, West Norfolk Council's cabinet member for the environment, took issue with Mr Plant's comments.
He said: "Electric cars are coming down in price quite considerably now. You can get them for under £30,000.
"There are a lot of second hand electric cars you can pick up for £4,000 to £5,000, so not everybody who drives an electric car is rich."
Following the meeting, Ben Price, leader of the Green group at County Hall, said Mr Plant's comments did not mesh with the authority's electric vehicle strategy.
He said electric cars would not solve the carbon crisis and investment in active travel and public transport was crucial.
But he said: "If there are incentives which help people transition from diesel to electric then that has to be a positive thing.
"Electric cars are becoming more obtainable now and I don't think creating a stigma that you have to be rich to own one is helpful or beneficial."
It is not the first time the county council has come in for criticism over its commitment to tackling carbon emissions from vehicles.
What are Norfolk's plans for electric cars?
Norfolk County Council has pledged to achieve net zero carbon by 2030 - and unveiled an Electric Vehicle Strategy last September to help achieve that goal.
The strategy highlighted how the authority can play a key role in helping increase the uptake of electric vehicles.
The council also said it can set "a good example to local businesses and organisations" as a result of electrifying its own fleet.
The strategy also proposes placing a requirement on developers to ensure every new home with a parking space has access to an electric vehicle charge point.
It also outlined how the council would work with private companies to get publicly available charging points provided in residential streets.
Potential trial points have been identified on residential streets in Norwich, including in the city's wards of Nelson, Mancroft, Mile Cross, Sewell, Thorpe Hamlet, Lakenham and Town Close.
Another of the strategy's recommendations is to lobby the government "to further reduce the costs of electric vehicle purchase and ownership compared to petrol and diesel vehicles".
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