Will a surge in sales drive our switch to electric cars?
WHILE most of us still drive petrol or diesel motors, the number going electric is accelerating, and the trend is only heading in one direction. By 2030, the Government plans to ban all sales of new petrol and diesel cars and by 2035, hybrid motors will be outlawed, too.
At that point, all new car buyers will have to purchase a batterypowered, zero-emission electric vehicle (EV), although they should still be able buy a fossil fuel motor secondhand.
Growing numbers are already making the switch, with battery electric vehicles (BEVS) totalling 14.4 per cent of all new car sales in the year to April, according to trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers andtraders (SMMT).THAT is exactly double last year’s 7.2 per cent share of new sales.
Many are sceptical, worrying about the challenges of charging, especially if they live in a flat or terraced house without off-road parking,
Others do not fancy converting to an electric after a lifetime of petrol or diesel vehicles.yet many who have gone the electric route find it quieter, cleaner and simpler, and would never go back.the big question, as living costs soar, is which one costs more?
PRICE SHOCKER
Electric cars are much more expensive to buy, even though the Government offers an incentive to go green.
Buyers can get a plug-in grant of up to £1,500, available for new electric cars that cost less than £32,000.This does not apply to hybrids.
You do not have to claim the grant, dealers and manufacturers will include it in the price.
To qualify, the car must be able to travel at least 70 miles with zero tailpipe CO2 emissions.you can check if your chosen motor qualifies at online government portal Gov.uk.
Even with the grant, you will have to be prepared to pay a lot more to save the planet.the Mini Electric costs from £28,500, or £27,000 with the plug-in grant, but you can buy a Mini 3-door Hatch from just £17,415. That is a hefty £9,585 less.
Similarly, the Peugeot e-2008 has an on-the-road price of £33,700, or £32,200 with the grant, but you can drive away a petrol Peugeot
2008 for £22,735.The difference? A cool £9,465.
First-time electric car buyers may also have the added cost of installing a home charging point. No wonder many are reluctant to make the jump to an electric motor. On the plus side, they have lower running costs.
CHEAPER RUNNING
Electric vehicles are £579 a year cheaper to run than petrol rivals, according to research from Comparethemarket.com.
They cost an average of £1,264 a year, compared to £1,843 for a petrol car. One reason is that they do not pay road tax, which starts at £140 a year and rises for gas guzzlers.
While electricity bills are going through the roof, electric motors are still cheaper to fuel than petrol cars, given that pump prices are also rising. Motorists doing the UK’S average mileage of 6,700 miles a year will pay £519 annually to charge their EV, while fuelling a petrol motor costs £943.That’s an extra £424 a year.
Electric motors used to be more expensive to insure but the gap is closing fast as competition among insurance companies increases. Now they cost £690 a year to cover, just £10 more than the average petrol car.
Servicing and maintenance costs are thought to be lower, too, although these were not included in the survey.
Comparethemarket director Alex Hasty said recent electric car buyers will be glad to see they are cheaper to load despite rising energy prices, but he cautioned: “The significant upfront cost of buying an electric car and installing a home charging point means that many drivers cannot afford this option.”
Consumer championwhich? has also examined purchase and running costs and concluded that the average electric car buyer has to run their vehicle for 10 years before breaking even on the higher purchase cost.
‘Motorists are starting to see EVS as more cost-effective, as well as being friendly to the environment’
SORE POINT
Another reason people are wary is “range anxiety”, the fear that they will run out of electricity far from charging stations and find themselves stranded. The UK’S lack of EV charging infrastructure is a huge concern, even though the number of points has increased by a third in the last year.
There are now 30,290 charge points across in the UK, up 7,500 in a year, official figures show. However, that figure needs to hit 2.3 million by 2030 to keep up with predicted demand, according to the SMMT.
Yet there is a growing buzz about the benefits of going electric, said James Hind, chief executive of car buying website Carwow.co.uk: “Motorists are starting to see EVS as more cost-effective, as well as an environmentally-friendly choice.”
There is no arguing with those rising sale figures, even if many buyers are better-off, two-car families wanting a local runabout.
City dwellers could save with electrics, which escape London’s Congestion Charge, as well as charges for driving in Ultra Low Emission Zones.that may change as they become more common, though.
If wondering which way to go, do your sums carefully.the electric car revolution still has a long way to go.