It has been confirmed that Brits can now choose from more than 100 different electric car models for the first time.
The range of different battery-powered vehicles in showrooms has grown by more than 500 per cent in the last decade, with just 16 electric variants on sale in the UK in 2014.
However, the wider selection available to motorists comes at a time when public demand for electric vehicles appears to have receded and manufacturers are desperately calling on the government to step in to offer incentives.
There may be a much wider selection of electric vehicles available to UK customers today than there was a decade ago, but Britain’s love affair with battery-powered cars is going through a difficult period.
Drivers considering the transition to an electric vehicle long before the 2035 ban on sales of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars have plenty of options to choose from.
The UK’s automotive industry body says almost a third (29.3 percent) of models on the market in 2024 will be electric.
Today, there are a total of 102 different electric vehicles to choose from in each segment, from superminis to SUVs and sports cars, says the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The average range of all electric vehicles on sale today is 236 miles; Given that the average daily mileage in the UK is currently around 18 miles, drivers can theoretically use one for 13 days before the battery needle hits zero.
If we go back to 2014, the choice of electric vehicles was much more limited. In fact, a decade ago there were few low-emission models (including hybrids), and some all-electric options weren’t even capable of 100 miles per charge.
This is a whopping 538 percent increase compared to 2014, when drivers had comparatively limited choice due to the technology’s infancy.
Fast forward 10 years and buyers were restricted to few options if they wanted to go electric. Best sellers a decade ago included the following: Tesla Model S; Smart ForTwo and For Four Electric Drive; Mercedes-Benz B-Class ED; Nissan Leaf; Renault Zoe; BMW i3; Kia Soul EV; Mitsubishi i-MiEV; Citroën C-Zero; Peugeot iON; and Volkswagen’s e-Golf and e-Up.
Many of the 2014 examples had incredibly limited ranges (the Smart couldn’t even go 100 miles on a full charge), but the ones on sale today can be used for almost a fortnight before needing to be charged.
The average range of all electric vehicles on sale today is 236 miles; Given that the average daily mileage in the UK is currently around 18 miles, drivers can theoretically use one for 13 days before the battery needle hits zero.
And the SMMT says this average range will increase to around 300 miles by the end of the year, once new models arrive.
Longer range examples can provide over 500 miles, although the electric vehicle that achieves this feat is incredibly expensive.
More options than ever, but the public is not exactly going to dealerships to buy electric vehicles
Unfortunately for the manufacturers, their growing ranges of electric cars come at a time when demand from private buyers has apparently hit a roadblock.
While electric vehicle registrations are ahead of last year by just over 10 per cent through the end of April with 107,000 sold, the SMMT notes that only one in six are purchased by private buyers.
Appetite among the general public is believed to have been affected due to a combination of its high prices, constant range anxiety and lack of public charging infrastructure.
Higher energy costs have also contributed to making electric vehicles less attractive over the past 18 months, as has Rishi Sunak’s decision to delay the ban on new petrol and diesel by five years to 2035.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) currently account for 15.7% of all new car registrations in 2024. The slower-than-expected acceleration in electric vehicle adoption has forced the industry body to review downwards its full-year forecast at less than 20%.
Under the ZEV mandate rules, major automakers must sell a 22% share of electric vehicles by 2024, and an increasing share annually thereafter. Failure to meet these targets will result in heavy fines per vehicle below the threshold.
Despite numerous calls from the automotive body and the wider motor industry, the Government has remained firm in its position not to introduce new incentives to help boost sales to private buyers.
The SMMT wants ministers to scrap VAT on new EV purchases, reduce the 20 per cent tax on public charging prices to 5 per cent and remove the vehicle excise duty (VED) supplement for electric vehicles once they are forced to pay. road tax from April 2025.
Ministers are reluctant to force UK taxpayers to help cover the cost of purchasing electric vehicles, but are also aware that many drivers are taking advantage of other avenues to use battery-powered cars.
The large increase in electric vehicle fleet registrations in recent years has been driven by the A large number of motorists are taking advantage of lucrative salary sacrifice schemes to eliminate taxes through their workplaces, although these are registered as fleet buyers and not private purchases.
Ministers are also banking on the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate to boost sales, with manufacturers facing financial penalties if they do not increase their share of electric car sales each year.
Manufacturers have already revised down their full-year forecasts for electric vehicle sales to less than 20 per cent and the SMMT recently told the House of Commons Transport Select Committee that many brands will miss the binding target of this year 22 percent.
However, Department of Transport ministers are convinced that all major car manufacturers will avoid fines in 2024 if they take advantage of other available options, including purchasing ZEV credits from dedicated electric vehicle manufacturers (such as Tesla and Polestar) or pledging to increase its share of electric vehicle sales. in other years between now and 2035.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of SMMT, said: “Manufacturers are delivering on their promises to reduce emissions and offer more and more electric car options to consumers.”
‘There are now more than 100 models available across all segments (a six-fold increase on 10 years ago), demonstrating the pace of change.
“However, the industry can only do so much on its own, and if we want to make electric vehicles open to everyone and drive the net zero transformation we all need, more support is needed.
‘It’s time to reform taxes on these vehicles, make public charging more affordable, accelerate the pace of roll-out of charging points and dispel some of the myths about these crucial vehicles. “They are the future and they are available now.”
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