Britain is better prepared to switch to electric cars than any of our European neighbours.
This is according to a new report that analyzes the ease with which different countries could switch to electric vehicles based on current driving patterns.
Two-thirds of UK cars and vans currently used by private owners and public sector organizations could easily be replaced with electric vehicles, saving money for drivers and businesses, transport solutions company Geotab found in its analysis. .
The claim comes even though the UK has some of the poorest EV incentives compared to its European rivals and major concerns over the switch to battery-powered cars have led to a decline in demand in recent months.
A new report from Geotab has found that the UK is by far the most “EV-friendly” country in Europe, with a score of 66 per cent compared to 43 per cent for Spain and 35 per cent for Germany.
He ‘Taking control: on the path to an electric vehicle futureThe report analyzed driver data from 1.3 million cars and vans in seven countries over 12 months.
It found that 66 per cent of UK vehicles currently on the road are “EV-friendly” by two metrics: this meant they could easily be swapped for an EV, not that the actual vehicle could be converted into one.
The first metric measured the average daily driving distances recorded by motorists and determined whether they could be covered by electric vehicles on sale today based on existing ranges.
It found that to have range, an electric vehicle would have to be able to drive 98 percent of the days a year on a single charge.
The second metric considered whether moving to an electric vehicle would save companies money over its lifetime.
Businesses would save an average of £13,279 per vehicle over seven years (a typical replacement cycle for a fleet of vehicles), equating to a saving of £876,414 over a large fleet of 100 vehicles, the study concluded.
Businesses would save an average of £13,279 per vehicle over seven years (a typical replacement cycle for a fleet of vehicles), equating to a saving of £876,414 on a large fleet of 100 vehicles.
If the replacement cycle were extended to 10 years – in line with the longer lifespan of electric vehicles compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts, thanks to savings on service, maintenance and repair (SMR) – the figure would rise to 73 percent, Geotabs said.
The UK’s 66 per cent figure surpassed Canada (50 per cent), Spain (43 per cent), the United States (38 per cent), Germany (35 per cent), Italy (28 per cent) and France (20 per cent). percent).
The news that the UK is the best market for fleets to switch to electric vehicles comes after sales data for 2024 so far showed that adoption of electric vehicles by fleets far exceeds purchases made by regular drivers, with stagnation in private sales of electric vehicles.
Electric vehicle adoption outpaced the rest of the market, rising 21.8 percent to a total of 14,991 registrations, according to SMMT data. This represents 17.7 percent of total registrations and is well ahead of last year’s 16.5 percent.
However, private buyers account for less than one in five (18.2 percent) of new electric vehicles registered in 2024.
Electric vehicle fleet sales are responsible for the majority of BEV sales in the UK by early 2024. If fleets switched to electric vehicles, 2.2 billion gallons of fuel could be saved from conventional vehicles .
In addition to the financial and logistical benefits, Geotab concluded that if fleets switched to electric vehicles it could reduce 2.2 billion gallons of fuel from conventional vehicles.
More than 19 million metric tons of CO2 emissions would be avoided over the next seven years.
In 2021, the United Kingdom produced 427 MtCO2e (million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 5 percent more than in 2020, according to Department of Transport figures.
Transportation produced 26 percent of total emissions that year (109 MtCO2e) and is the largest emitting sector. Some 91 percent of national transportation emissions came from road vehicles: 100 MtCO2e.
Today, the Earth’s temperature is around 1.1°C warmer than at the end of the 19th century and emissions continue to rise, figures show.
The UN has stipulated that to keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C, Emissions must be reduced by 45 percent by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050, as signed in the Paris Agreement.
Transportation produced 26 percent of total emissions that year (109 MtCO2e) and is the largest emitting sector. 91 percent of national transportation emissions came from road vehicles: 100 MtCO2e. The adoption of electric vehicles by public and private companies would help reduce this.
David Savage, vice president for the UK and Ireland at Geotab, said: “The idea that the UK is not ready for mass adoption of electric vehicles is a fallacy.
‘Instead, it’s time for British companies to ‘double down’ on fleet electrification, not just for the sake of the environment and our collective climate goals, but also for their bottom line.
“A visionary CEO of a company that operates a fleet of vehicles could effectively pay their own salary by going electric, thanks to the financial savings of electric vehicles.”
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