July/August 2021

JULY/AUGUST 2021 AFTERMARKET 61 revenues rather than the way they must be used to encourage the shift to net zero, the committee pointed out that DfT and BEIS will need to do much more to consider practical application. Commenting on the report, Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Committee, said: The government has a mountain to climb to get to all new cars in the UK emitting zero carbon in the next 14 years: to convince consumers and make the cars appealing, to make the car industry environmentally and socially compliant, to build the necessary infrastructure to support this radical shift and possibly biggest of all, to wean itself off carbon revenues. Yet once again what we’ve got is a government throwing up a few signs around base camp - and no let-up in demand for oversized, petrol- guzzling vehicles.” She added: “This isn’t about more targets with no plan behind them inevitably getting missed, it’s about averting the real-world challenges that are bearing down on all of us. The Government needs to get the country behind it and lead the way in the global race against climate change.” Also commenting on the report, SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said: “The automotive industry shares government’s ambition for an electric revolution, a transformation that has already begun. However, as the Public Accounts Committee has made clear, we need a comprehensive and holistic plan to get us there in time. That plan must convince consumers to make the switch, it must provide the incentives that make electric cars affordable for all, and it must ensure recharging is as easy as refuelling – which means a massive and rapid rollout of infrastructure nationwide. Now is the time for government to match its world-leading ambitions with a world-class policy package.” Rapid take-up There is some action on the infrastructure front fortunately. UK energy regulator Ofgem recently announced that will spend £300 million on infrastructure for electric vehicles and other low carbon projects, including 1,800 new ultra- rapid charge points at 39 motorway service areas, with another 1,750 in towns and cities. Currently there are currently 918 ultra-rapid charge points in the UK. The government’s target is to have at least six ultra-rapid charge points at motorway service areas in England, with more for larger sites. The move is intended to alleviate consumer range anxiety. Ofgem research found that 36% of households that do not intend to get an electric vehicle are put off making the switch over a lack of charging points near their home. Ofgem Chief Executive Jonathan Brearley said: “This £300 million will support the rapid take-up of electric vehicles which will be vital if Britain is to hit its climate change targets. Drivers need to be confident that they can charge their car quickly when they need to. We’re paving the way for the installation of 1,800 ultra-rapid charge points, tripling the number of these public charge points. Drivers will have more charging options for longer journeys. Transport Minister Rachel Maclean observed: “With more than 500,000 electric cars now on UK roads, this will help to increase this number even further as drivers continue to make the switch to cleaner, greener vehicles.” Keith Bell, Member of the Climate Change Committee, added: “On the journey to Net Zero, we need to make it as easy as possible for people to manage without their combustion engine cars. Electric vehicles are looking more and more attractive, but we need to make sure they can be charged easily, and that means having the right infrastructure – charge points and network capacity – in the right place at the right time.” The upgrades would also include improvements to cables, substations and other infrastructure so the National Grid would be able to support the growing vehicular demand for electricity. The total level of investment is expected to reach more than £40 billion. EV adoption While infrastructure concerns and range anxiety are among the issues that are holding back EV growth, sales are still rising, with peaks in particular areas. The North West and South West of England adopted EVs faster than any other UK regions in 2020 with an 293% and 237% increases respectively, according to DVLA data which has been assessed by Leasing Options. Across the whole country, EV registrations were up 125% year-on-year in 2020 with 181,090 bought, compared with 80,578 in 2019. In comparison, the increase 2018-2019 was 26%. While the South West saw the slowest uptake in 2019, it has shot to the top of the list by registering the third highest number of any region in 2020, and now has the second most EVs in the UK in total. In fact, they have the highest number of EVs per 100,000 people in the whole of the country. The South East and West Midlands rank second and third with more than 1,000 EVs per 100,000 people. At the bottom of the list is Wales and the North East which both have less than 300 EVs per 100,000 people. Commenting on the findings, Mike Thompson from Leasing Options said: “At Leasing Options we have continued to see massive year on year growth within our electric division and as a management team we are keen to continue to track the growth of EV adoption across the country. However, it is clear from our research that this growth is not being seen evenly across the board. Only a few regions are driving the EV revolution forward. As a Manchester-based business we’re proud to see the fastest growth in EV adoption coming from our region.” Next month: A host of EV related information... Encouraging drivers to upgrade is essential for the UK to meet its targets ” Regional adoption of EVs per 100,000 people