Electric car sales boom in lockdown
MOTORISTS are switching to battery-powered cars with sales increasing tenfold in five years – and Elon Musk’s hi-tech Tesla is leading the charge, new figures reveal.
New car registration figures from the DVLA show that in 2016 around one in every 300 cars sold was 100 per cent electric. Last year that number was one in 20.
Despite the lockdowns, last year saw bumper sales of electric cars with more than 116,000 registered, almost three times the number from the previous 12 months.
The nation’s most popular electric car, Tesla’s Model 3, sold more than 400 new cars every week last year.
The sales figures put Tesla 14th in the league table of all models sold, which was topped by the 49,174 Ford Fiestas that were registered in 2020.
Major motor manufacturers such as BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Honda, Ford and Vauxhall have all launched battery-powered models in recent months as they jockey for position in the growing electric car market.
Electric cars have faced criticism for being too expensive, having a small range and a slow and complicated recharging procedure.
However, newer models are tackling these issues and ministers have committed to installing more charging points.
The Government also brought forward a ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol-powered cars from 2040 to 2030.
Dan Caesar, joint chief executive of Fully Charged, which produces videos and podcasts about clean energy and electric cars, said: “We’ve seen a surge in pure electric car sales in the UK, but this isn’t a huge surprise if you look at what’s happening acrosswestern Europe as a whole.
“Spurred on by an increased interest in clean air and cleaner living, electric cars are on the cusp of becoming mainstream.
“In April, 80 per cent of new cars sold in Norway can plug in, with more than two in three pure battery electric vehicles. While
the UK may be three years behind, it is expected to follow a similar growth curve. If people need a car, we would strongly recommend their next one is electric. The consensus is that the last two barriers to mass adoption are charging infrastructure and cost.
“But not only are there tens of thousands of chargers in the UK, but tens of thousands more are being installed. If you are lucky enough to have a driveway you will wake up fully charged every day.
“And if you’re not, with 200-300 mile ranges, most electric car drivers can charge away from home a couple of times a week.
“When it comes to cost, sometimes the asking price on a new electric can be more.
“But in almost every other way the running costs are a fraction of the price.”
‘Running costs are a fraction’