Of all the technologies contributing to the ongoing low carbon transition of the UK, it is arguably the electrification of the UK’s cars that holds the most attention.
Where the public generally doesn’t care about whether or not their electricity comes from a solar farm or a coal plant – see low uptake of green tariffs for evidence of that – people do care about their cars.
EVs offer the chance to take the low carbon revolution to the people, offering a direct and tangible link to the energy system of a future from behind the wheel to get them engaged, excited and motivated to take part.
Within this context, positive strides are already being taken – car manufacturers electrifying their fleets, petrol and diesel car sale bans around the world to name a few. But it is also important to look at what could stand in the way, or at least what is deemed to.
New registrations of EVs, while low at around 1.7% of overall car sales currently, have still grown at a rapid pace, with the latest figures showing over 53,000 ultra-low emission vehicles having been registered last year. This marks an increase of 27% on 2016 and is symptomatic of the rapid rise of alternative fuelled vehicles, with around 146,000 thought to be driving around the UK as of April 2018.
Read more: Current-News