This weeks latest EV news 09-01-2023

Highest number of public EV charge points installed in 2022

Last year saw the highest numbers on record for public charging points installed around the UK. Not surprisingly, with the industry set to grow exponentially in the coming years. This is due mostly to the increase in demand with the 2030 target of petrol/ diesel vehicle sales to end, and the ever growing net zero targets. The increase in demand has increased the need for public charging infrastructure required across the UK, helping ease the transition to electric vehicles.

The increase led to over 8,700 charge points being installed, totaling around 37,000 installed entirely since the demand increased. The rise is also due to a target for 2030 of 300,000 public charge points set by Boris Johnson's government. This 30% increase year on year compared to the 38% growth annually of the sales of electric vehicles up to November last year. To meet the target set by Boris's government, installations will need to double from 2025, meaning even more significant growth is yet to be seen in the industry.

Chief executive of Connected Kerb, Chris Pateman-Jones, which plans to install 190,000 street chargers by 2030, said he expected a further significant increase in charger numbers during 2023, but "much more needs to be done if the country is to be EV-ready for 2030". The challenge is also with motorists feeling comfortable making the transition to electric and trusting the range of the electric vehicles between charges. A recent study showed a common concern for motorists unfamiliar with how far EVs can travel, ultimately hindering the decision to go electric.

For some EV owners, home charging isn't generally that easy. This is where public charging arrangements come in very handy and make owning an EV possible. This is seen widely in larger urban areas where charging infrastructure individually is much less possible. Public charging really allows EV owners to make the shift from petrol/ diesel and charge more easily around there immediate areas. The recent growth has also seen electric vehicle sales overtake diesel sales and secondly behind petrol vehicle sales. This shift is promising and shows car manufacturers really are making an effort in pushing for hybrid/ electric vehicles production towards the 2030 deadline.

Speaking recently, Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and COO of Zap-Map, said, "Over the next few years, the UK will need a mix of charging solutions to suit a wide variety of use cases. Focusing solely on the number of charging devices masks the different types of charging available, what they’re useful for, and which ones are needed where."

EV Registrations expected around 443,000 in 2023

As the ever growing drive on going electric continues to rise, it's no surprise EV registrations are going to soar in 2023. Expected registrations are in the region of 443,000, in comparison to 2022 at 267,203. The main factors behind this rise are increased progress by vehicle manufacturers in upscaling production lines for electric vehicles, research and development in final stages for EV models, and improved EV charging infrastructure. The improvement of charging facilities is one of the reasons responsible for the surge as consumers of electric vehicles become familiar to the concept and recognise available charging facilities, especially in longer journeys.

There is an additional push as businesses see the benefits of offering employees electric vehicles as part of company salary sacrifice incentives. This allows businesses to reduce there carbon footprint while also maintaining sustainability standards being introduced to companies set by the government. This has seen increasing demand for businesses to have EV charging facilities installed into their premises to cater for employees and also sometimes public requirements.

The EV Market in the UK saw a sharp rise to 39.4% in December 2022 increasing from 2021 making it a record year for EV share increase. The main contender for this increase is Tesla vehicle sales, and more specifically, the Tesla Model Y, the 3rd most popular vehicle in 2022 and most popular in December. The market share increase of 39.4% included 32.9% for full electric vehicles (BEVs) and 6.5% for hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The top battery electric (BEV) models sold in 2022 include 1) Tesla Model Y, 2) Tesla Model S, 3) Kia e-Niro.