EV News October 2021
EV Sales in September
September has seen a huge increase in EV (electric vehicles) sales. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, plug-in vehicles made up 18.6% of car sales in September. This means the EVs have made up 16.1% of the market share so far this year. Online searches for electric cars in the UK went up by 1600% towards the end of September.
September traditionally shows a peak in sales and car registrations. But this year that is not true across the whole market. But sales for conventional vehicles fell by 34.4% compared to this time last year. The drop makes this year the worst September recorded since 1998. Supply chain issues continue to affect new production.
A total of 46,605 new electric vehicles were registered in September 2021. This includes 32,721 BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) and 13,884 PHEVs (plugin hybrid vehicles). This takes the total number of EVs on the road currently to 651,829. This means a 75% increase in EVs on the road compared to the same time last year.
Comment
COO & Co-founder of Zap-Map, Melanie Shufflebotham said:
“Today’s datasets from the SMMT and Zap-Map not only show that more people are buying EVs than ever before, but that investment in public charging infrastructure is beginning to show real benefits for those choosing to make the switch.”
Charging Infrastructure
This new increase in sales has aligned with an increase in the charging infrastructure. Since January 2021, the number of ultra-rapid charging devices in the UK has increased by more than 50%.
There are now around 3750 rapid chargers and 1000 ultra-rapid chargers throughout the UK.
The national charging infrastructure is set to continue to increase as the Government have announced that all new build homes and offices will have an EV charger as part of their new legislation.
Also, Osprey has recently announced a £75 million investment to install 150 rapid EV charging hubs. InstaVolt has also pledged to install 10,000 new rapid chargers by 2030.
BEVs Overtake PHEVs
The number of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) on the UK’s roads has overtaken the number of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) for the first time. A study from the RAC estimated 332,299 BEVs are now on the road. This is compared to 327,183 plug-in hybrids. This means BEVs now represent 50.4% of all plug-in cars on the UK’s roads since 2010.
EV Popularity
EVs (electric vehicles) represent 1% of the current UK vehicles. But the growth rate in popularity over the last few years has been significant. The RAC estimates that the number of BEVs registered in a single year will reach a new record of 175,000. They also note that this figure could have been higher had it not been for the international shortage of semiconductors, causing delays in the
production line. But the increase in numbers despite the production line issue shows the demand for more eco-friendly vehicles. In a survey of 2,419 drivers, 43% said they expect to make the switch within the next three years.
Sales for conventionally fueled vehicles dropped by 86% in two years. There were 67,000 fewer diesel cars registered this September compared to September 2019.
Comment
RAC director of EVs Sarah Winward-Kotecha said:
“Against a backdrop of generally poor new car sales, September was a milestone month when it came to battery-electric models. These figures show there’s clear momentum when it comes to electric car adoption in the UK. Sales of electric cars have also eclipsed diesel sales by a huge margin with three battery-electric cars sold for every one new diesel car that went onto the road. Fortunately when it comes to EVs there are a variety of ways drivers can now make the switch in a more affordable way.”
How Can We Help?
If your fleet is looking to make the switch to EVs, our Shell EV card is the ideal fuel solution for your drivers. With access to over 3000 charging hubs and 3800 conventional fuel sites, the Shell EV card is perfect for BEVs or PHEVs.
Useful Links
To find the full data on EV registrations in September visit: https://www.smmt.co.uk/2021/10/september-ev-registrations-4/
EV News October 2021