Electric car demand has slowed sharply in a sign that drivers are turning back to petrol, as the EV market share fell while the petrol vehicle share increased. The Telegraph has more.
The market share of battery electric vehicles (EVs) declined last month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.
EV registrations rose only 3.8% from a year earlier, compared with a 10% advance in the overall car market. Hybrid and petrol-powered cars showed the strongest growth.
Petrol-engine sales rose 9.2% and accounted for more than half of the total, while plug-in hybrids saw a 37% increase.
What gains EVs did achieve in March were driven entirely by fleet and business purchases, with sales to ordinary drivers dropping, the SMMT said.
The figures add to evidence that the immediate market for battery-powered cars is a limited one. Early adopters desperate to drive a zero-emissions vehicle have already made the switch but the mass market is proving more reluctant.
EVs cost significantly more than a similar diesel or petrol model, which is a major deterrent. Concerns about the U.K.’s sparsely spread charging infrastructure also continue to stoke so-called range anxiety.
The SMMT’s figures came as Carlos Tavares, the head of carmaking giant Stellantis, whose brands include Vauxhall, Peugeot and Fiat, warned that electric vehicles are unlikely to ever be universally popular among drivers.
Mr. Tavares said at the company’s Freedom of Mobility Forum: “We should move away from a dogmatic thinking where one size fits all.
“I don’t think this is going to work. What I would like to add is that the current EVs can be a solution for some of our societies.”
Mr. Tavares said the 500kg of raw materials currently required to produce an EV battery pack isn’t sustainable and said a technological breakthrough was required to halve the weight of battery packs over the next decade.
The market share of battery vehicles fell to 15.2% of sales in the UK in March, down from 16.2% a year earlier, SMMT figures showed.
Chief Mike Hawes said the shrinking share showed the challenge of boosting EV acceptance.
Worth reading in full.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.