February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 AFTERMARKET 59 www.aftermarketonline.net Make and model Efficiency Rating Tesla Model 3 A++ BMW i4 A++ Hyundai Ioniq A+ Citroen e-C4 A+ Fiat 500e A+ Hyundai Kona Electric A+ Mercedes EQS A+ Kia EV6 A+ Peugeot e208 A+ SEAT Mii A+ Tesla Model Y A+ Vauxhall Corsa-e A+ Citroen Ami A+ Volkswagen ID.3 A+ Renault Twizy A+ Hyundai IONIQ5 A+ Audi e-tron D Mercedes EQC D Mercedes EQV E Commenting on the E-Rating, AA President Edmund King said: "Anything that helps consumers decide on the most efficient EV for their needs in simple terms can only be a positive thing. Electrifying.com introducing this new tool for electric car buyers makes the process of picking the right electric car for them a much simpler and easier-to- understand process.” Electrifying.com founder Ginny Buckley added: “It amazes me that until now we haven’t had an effective efficiency standard for electric cars, as we do across other sectors; but we’ve looked to put this right. As electricity costs less than petrol or diesel, it is easy to dismiss the efficiency of electric cars and think it isn’t important. But the costs of a less efficient model can soon add up.” To see the full E-Rating list, visit: www.electrifying.com Plug-in charging points not keeping up with surging vehicle sales study finds The ratio of vehicle chargepoints to plug-in cars dropped by 31% during 2020, according to a study from the SMMT, and the organisation is calling for charging infrastructure targets to match the growth in the sales of these vehicles. According to the research, 11 plug-in vehicles potentially shared a standard public charger for battery electric (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) at the end of 2019. By the end of 2020, Britain’s ratio of plug-in vehicles on the road to standard public chargers had fallen to 16 vehicles for each single charger. In contrast, South Korea has a ratio of 3:1, the Netherlands is at 5:1, China is at 9:1, France is on 10:1, while Belgium and Japan both field 13:1. The UK is still doing better than Germany though, which is sitting on 17:1. 4,109 new standard public charge points were installed between January and September 2021, compared with 212,181 new plug-in car registrations. This means one new standard charger is being installed for every 52 new electric cars. London has the best ratio of cars to chargers at 10:1, but this fell from 5:1 in 2019 as plug-in vehicle sales soared. Conversely, the East of England has the lowest at 49:1. Wales exceeds the UK average with a ratio of 12:1, while Scotland is slightly behind at 17:1. The government’s Rapid Charging Fund has allotted £950m for rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints. Meanwhile, £620m was earmarked for zero-emission vehicle grants and infrastructure in the Net Zero Strategy. There has also been legislation announced that will require all new-build homes to include an electric vehicle charging point, as we saw earlier. However, according to SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes, more is still needed: “Appetite for electric vehicles has never been higher, but making Britain a net- zero nation means convincing everyone, wherever they live, that an electric car can meet their needs. Those who can’t have their own home charge point need the confidence that they can still charge as conveniently as they can refuel. A deteriorating ratio of public charge points to cars will drain that confidence.” He added: “Recent government funding for infrastructure was welcome but more private sector investment in public charge points is needed across the country. The UK therefore needs a framework of regulation that makes it easier to fund, build and operate electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Consequently, we need commensurate and binding targets for charge point rollout and reliability so that all those without a driveway or designated parking can be confident of finding a convenient charger, and one that works.” Plug-in car sales soar, but overall demand remains muted Plug-in cars made up 28.1% of the total sold during November according to the latest figures from the SMMT, which saw overall registrations up 1.7% on the same month in 2020, which also brought four months of continuously falling sales to an end. In total, 115,706 new cars were sold during November. While this represented a slight improvement on November 2020, this was still 31.3% down on pre-pandemic 2019. Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales made up 18.8% of the market, with 21,726 units. This was double the amount sold in November 2020. Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) share grew to 9.3% or 10,796 units. Looking at the year-to-date figures, of the 1,538,585 new cars sold up to the end of November, 17.5% were BEVs or PHEVs. Combined with the 9% share taken by hybrid electric vehicles, 26.5% of the new car market during 2021 has been electrified. James Fairclough, CEO at AA Cars, commented: “Changing customer tastes are reshaping the market. Plug-in vehicles have accounted for more than one in six cars registered in 2021. That’s close to double their market share of last year and nearly double the number of diesels sold. Steadily rising fuel prices in November, coupled with the buzz around the COP 26 summit in Glasgow, may have given EV sales a further lift last month, encouraging many buyers who had already been considering going electric to bring forward their decision. However, rather than face a long wait for a new model, thousands of motorists are choosing to focus on the second-hand market instead, where availability is significantly better.” www.aftermarketonline.net Steadily rising fuel prices with the buzz around the COP 26 summit in Glasgow, may have given EV sales a further lift ”