The transition from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric has become a major weapon in the armoury of leading industrialised countries keen to cut carbon emissions without sacrificing their economies. While legislation banning the sale of fossil-fuel propelled cars will take effect in the 2030s, however, progress is needed now.
For that reason, the latest data on electric vehicle (EV) purchases will be hugely encouraging, as the UK has passed a significant landmark in its transition.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed that over the course of 2022, there were more new car registrations for EVs than diesel for the first time ever. While the battery powered EV tally was 267,203, up 40 per cent on 2021, diesel registrations fell by 39 per cent to just 82,981.
Moreover, the battery-powered EV total was also higher than various hybrid options like mild hybrid electric diesel (72,343), plug-in hybrid electric s (101,414), hybrid electric (187,948) and mild hybrid electric petrol (219,701). Only petrol vehicles (682,473) saw more registrations.
This meant that over the course of the year, battery-powered EVs accounted for 16.6 per cent of the market. But this was on an upward trend through the year and reached 32.9 per cent in December. All this had a positive effect on emissions, with new car CO2 dropping by 6.9 per cent to 111.4g/km, new historic low.
Of course, the dramatic decline of diesel has played a significant role in this shift and much of that has come from significant U-turns in government policy, which over the last few years have reversed previous tax incentives to use diesel.
Far from being a ‘cleaner’ fuel than petrol, diesel was found to contribute to dangerously high nitrous oxide levels in urban areas. As well as being a major greenhouse gas, this also meant making the air increasingly unsafe for those breathing it.
Nonetheless, while diesel was the big loser in 2022, the growth of EVs is unquestionable. However, this means there will be a need for more and more EV charging stations in Manchester and other cities. To fail to do this could leave some parts of the country in the slow lane when it comes to providing the practical infrastructure needed to aid the transition to an electric motoring future.
The SMMT figures indicate a bright future ahead for EVs in Britain, although to read some headlines it might seem like this is in doubt. For instance, an article in The Week UK described 2023 as a “make or break year” for the sector in its headline.
However, the article mainly focused on Tesla’s plunging share prices, which may have as much to do with the bad publicity surrounding Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter as the company’s performance. It also noted that several new competitors are entering the market, which may not be great news for Tesla, but can hardly be bad for the EV industry as a whole.
Examples of new developments include the partnership between Honda and Sony, which has produced Afeela, a new prototype EV that will also double as a “moving entertainment space”.
The model was unveiled at the CES 2023 technology show in Las Vegas.
