These figures highlight the growth in demand being seen for electric vehicles and comes despite supply chain problems caused by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The UK is now expected to overtake France later this year, in terms of overall sales. Just three years ago there were just 100k EVs on the UK’s roads while today pure electric cars now account for about 1.2% of the 40.5m cars on British roads.
As manufacturers roll out new models, sales are expected to continue to grow rapidly. In fact, in May, UK electric car production was twice what it was a year earlier, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The research also suggests that the UK would have hit this milestone sooner but for shortages of supply and component shortages – in particular wire harnesses which are produced in Ukraine.
It also noted that a key driver for the UK market has been regulations regarding the reduction in average CO2 emissions – manufacturers face heavy fines if they don’t cut emissions quickly enough.
Good news but it comes amid recent reports that Britain could fail to hold on to the production of electric vehicles (EVs) unless there’s a major expansion in gigafactories, where countries such as Germany are significantly ahead in establishing these critical plants.
