Latest figures show rapid rise in sales of ULEVs in UK
Tue 21 October 2014
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Sales of electric cars and other plug-in vehicles have increased rapidly over the last quarter; more than doubling compared with the previous quarter. There are now over 17,000 ULEVs on the UK's roads according to the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).
Between July and September 2014, over 5,000 grants were provided, more than double the number compared with the previous 3 months and almost a third of all grants since the scheme was launched in 2010.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: "It is not surprising that people want these vehicles – they are a pleasure to drive and incredibly cheap to run, as well as beneficial to the environment. The government is breaking down barriers that may have put people off in the past."
OLEV's press release says that the growing confidence in ULEVs is helping the UK strengthen its position as a global leader in developing green technology and that expanding this sector is also creating thousands of jobs and contributing to Britain’s thriving £11 billion automotive industry, as well as encouraging more investment in to the UK.
This echoes the findings of the LowCVP's study 'Investing in the Low Carbon Journey', which was published in July.
The £5,000 plug-in car grant (£8,000 for vans) is one of the Department for Transport's main measures to encourage EV uptake. The Government will soon announce how a further £500m is to be invested in the industry between 2015 and 2020.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has also released new statistics which indicate that a total of 9,955 alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFVs) were registered in September, a 56 per cent increase on the same period last year.
AFVs accounted for 2.3 per cent of the total market share in this period which is a 44 per cent year-on-year rise, while September saw a 5.6 per cent increase in overall registrations compared to the same month in 2013.
Diesel and petrol vehicles saw registrations grow just under six per cent and four per cent respectively with the market share for diesel remaining static.
According to the SMMT research, 37,842 AFVs have been sold so far during 2014, an increase of over 50 per cent on the same period last year, while market share has grown from 1.4 per cent in 2013 to 1.9 per cent this year.
Of the 9,955 AFVs registered in September, 3,090 were eligible for the government's plug-in grant that offers up to £5,000 off the cost of a pure-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle.
There are now reported to be over 7,300 chargepoints installed at nearly 3000 locations in the UK according to the latest figures from Zap Map. These include 690 rapid chargers which can recharge a vehicle to near full capacity in around 20 minutes.
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