PR & NEWS

Is the public’s love affair with electric cars over? As House of Lords committee blames a comedian for green motor sales stall, charging points across the UK lie empty and EV forecasts are missed

[ad_1]



Sales of new electric cars have been slowing down in Britain, raising questions over whether the public could be falling out of love with the green machines.

A House of Lords committee report released yesterday said EV sales are ‘stalling’ among private motorists as many cannot afford them and because of the slow roll-out of public chargers – particularly in rural areas. 

But MailOnline found that even where public chargers were installed, many EV charging bays lay empty.

The poor sales have ignited a blame game in Westminster, with actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson even being held responsible after he described EVs as ‘a bit soulless’ in a comment piece he penned in June last year. 

It comes amid a government goal to completely phase out petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles by 2035 – something Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushed back five years in September.

Industry figures showed that new EV sales to private car buyers plummeted by 25 per cent last month when compared with January 2023. 

And annual figures showed that the proportion of car sales that were electric had dropped from 16.6 per cent in 2022 to 16.5 per cent last year – the first time it has fallen into reverse.

The proportion of EV sales dropped from 16.6 per cent in 2022 to 16.5 per cent in 2023. It had been predicted to reach 17.7 per cent in 2023
MailOnline found that several EV charging bays were lying empty. This one is pictured in Morley, Leeds
Six empty charging EV bays are seen at a Tesco supermarket in Merton, London
A number of empty electric vehicle charging car park spaces at Cattle Market car park in Bicester, Oxfordshire

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had forecast that EVs would account for 17.7 per cent of new car sales in March 2023. They also predicted that sales would rise to 59.6 per cent by 2026-27.

READ MORE: Mr Bean is blamed for slump in electric car sales: Rowan Atkinson is accused of ‘damaging’ public perception of EVs by House of Lords report after describing the vehicles as a ‘bit soulless’ 

The OBR believes that customers are being deterred by the higher upfront costs, while the availability of public charging points also seems to be a concern for many drivers.

While EV sales among businesses grew 42 per cent, it is a major blow to the Government’s target of banning sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 as it needs to convince more than 30million private motorists to make the switch.

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures published Monday show that 20,935 electric cars were registered in January – a rise of 21 per cent year on year.

However, purchases by private buyers fell by a quarter (25.1 per cent).

The trade body’s chief executive Mike Hawes previously said the UK was now ‘probably in the bottom half in Europe’ for driver demand for EVs, falling below nations such as France, Germany, Ireland and Portugal.

He attributed this to a lack of incentives in the UK.

Mr Sunak has already delayed the proposed ban from 2030 to 2035 to give consumers more time to make the transition to EVs.

Car industry insiders have become increasingly angered at the mixed messages coming from No 10. 

The Bicester car park was almost full of petrol and diesel cars (right) but the EV parking points (left) were mostly empty
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures published Monday show that 20,935 electric cars were registered in January – a rise of 21 per cent year on year. However, purchases by private buyers fell by a quarter (25.1 per cent). Pictured: An empty EV charging bay at Morley Leisure Centre, Leeds

Despite pushing back the ban on petrol cars, the PM left targets in place that will force manufacturers to ramp up EV sales from this year.

‘In terms of messaging, it was slightly peculiar,’ Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), told The Telegraph.

The Government had set a target of installing six chargers at all motorway service stations by the end of 2023, but it was revealed in January it had failed dismally trying to achieve this goal.

This has only been achieved at 33 per cent of locations, chairman of the inquiry Baroness Parminter said.

In the report, Baroness Parminter said: ‘If we’re going to get to net zero in 2050, we’ve got to address surface transport, because that accounts for 23pc of our emissions.

‘And if the Government is serious about meeting its targets, then it needs to use all the levers at its disposal.

‘The message the public got from the delay in the [petrol car] ban was ‘This is not something that we need to worry about now’.’

Ministers have been instructed to start addressing the disparity in upfront costs between EVs and petrol and diesel cars, and revamp grants aimed at incentivising the purchase of new EVs.

The Government had set a target of installing six chargers at all motorway service stations by the end of 2023, but it was revealed in January it had failed dismally trying to achieve this goal. Pictured: EV charging station in Stretford, Manchester
Rishi Sunak has already delayed the proposed ban from 2030 to 2035 to give consumers more time to make the transition to EVs. Pictured: A car park with empty EV spaces in Bicester
Electric charging points at the Tesco Merton car park were not being used, while other spaces were filled
Electric car charging costs based on data from zap-map.com. Petrol car figures use the current price of unleaded fuel according to the RAC. Figures for fuel costs per year does not include any additional running costs, such as maintenance

And while the report said the Government is making some headway with charging infrastructure, more needs to be done to bolster the number of devices available to those without on-street charging at home.

Current support for local authorities in the form of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fund (LEVI) is seen as a great initial step but the report recommended extending this for a further three years.

However, outdated regulation is holding charging infrastructure back.

New consulting needs to happen around mandatory workplace charging and the ‘right to charge’ for tenants in multi-occupancy buildings in order to improve public charging networks, the inquiry highlights.

Manufacturers claim that Mr Sunak has made things worse by withdrawing EV benefits.

A ‘plug in grant’ for EV drivers previously entitled motorists to a £2,500 discount, but this was removed in June 2022. Meanwhile from March 2025, EV drivers will lose their current exemption from road tax.

The Government is also piling pressure on car manufacturers by penalising them for failing to meet  Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) targets.

Rowan Atkinson, 69, (pictured) described electric cars as ‘a bit soulless’ in a comment piece he penned in June last year
There are some hidden environmental costs of an electric car

Some 22 per cent of cars sold this year must be ZEVs, rising to 28 per cent in 2025, 52 per cent in 2028 and 80 per cent by 2030.

If targets are not made, then manufacturers will face fines or be forced to cover shortfalls via an emissions trading scheme.

But it’s not just Mr Sunak who has been taking the blame.

The Green Alliance pressure group said: ‘One of the most damaging articles was a comment piece written by Rowan Atkinson in the Guardian which has been roundly debunked.’ 

Atkinson, known for his starring roles in Mr Bean and the Blackadder series, has a degree in electrical engineering and control systems, and described the cars as ‘a bit soulless’ but ‘wonderful mechanisms’.

‘But increasingly, I feel a little duped… I’m feeling that our honeymoon with electric cars is coming to an end, and that’s no bad thing,’ he wrote in his comment piece.

The submission was cited by people as proof of misleading reporting about the negatives of electric cars and battery technology.

Member of the Commons transport committee, Greg Smith, said: ‘It’s total hypocrisy for people that don’t even drive EVs themselves to have the bare-faced cheek to tell others they should drop an absolute ton of money on one,’ he said.

‘People should be free to choose what cars they buy and drive. The reliability issues with battery electric cars are real and to try and sweep that under the carpet is just potty.’

[ad_2]

Source link