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Commenting on the latest sales figures from New Automotive, which indicate that EVs achieved a 30% market share in August, Dr. Simon Cran-McGreehin, Head of Analysis at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said:
“With EV sales already strong and rising further as drivers try to protect themselves from the Iran war oil price shocks, the car industry is comfortably on track to meet Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate targets for the third year in a row, using the flexibilities that the industry itself requested.
“Sales of EVs in France are now ahead of the UK, while Europe generally has seen a similar surge, which places ever greater urgency on UK factories to electrify, given that most cars made in the UK are exported and Europe is our biggest market. The risk is a repeat of the 1970s when UK car makers stuck with outdated technology and failed to keep up with global trends, losing thousands of jobs in the process. And if UK manufacturers are falling behind, the question is what can the Government do about it?
“With an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and second-hand EVs offering savings of hundreds of pounds off driving bills, choking off the supply of potentially millions of electric cars by watering down the ZEV mandate will only make it tougher for regular families. Does the Government want to do that?”
