Drivers are doing their bit in the fight against climate change by swapping their petrol or diesel motors for electric vehicles (EVs), as sales of environmentally-friendly cars soar over the last year.
Recent figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Trades (SMMT) revealed there were 42,146 sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) in November 2021. This represents a 67.4 per cent increase from the previous November.
Sales of BEVs alone more than doubled (110 per cent), with 21,726 of these vehicles sold in November 2021, in comparison with 10,345 in November last year.
At the same time, sales of diesel cars dropped by 62.7 per cent and the number of petrol vehicles sold fell by 10.4 per cent compared with November 2020.
Chief executive of SMMT Mike Hawes stated: “Demand is there, with a slew of new, increasingly electrified, models launched.”
He added: “The continued acceleration of electrified vehicle registrations is good for the industry, the consumer and the environment.”
However, he noted there is a problem in the market due to a shortage of semiconductors globally, which means many orders of EVs cannot be fulfilled. In addition to this, there needs to be improvement in the number of public charges available to make it easier for motorists to recharge their EVs, so they do not have to rely on diesel and petrol at the pumps.
The RAC also commented on the figures, with director of EVs at the group Sarah Winward-Kotecha saying 2021 will be a “stellar year for the electric car revolution”.
However, she noted the number of EVs sold could have been far greater had it not been for manufacturing problems regarding the sourcing of semiconductors.
Ms Winward-Kotecha also recognised issues with the public charging network, emphasising the need for it to grow “in line with the rise of EVs so that mid-trip charging is never a problem”.
The RAC representative believes 2022 will be even better for the EV industry, anticipating sales exceeding one million over the year.
This, she states, will “further heighten the need for fast and efficient charging away from home”.
According to SMMT, there was just one on-street public charger installed for every 52 new plug-in cars in 2021. This is a huge decline from 11 to 16 for each plug-in EV between 2019 and 2020.
This makes the ratio of plug-in vehicles to standard public chargers in Britain 16:1, which is one of the worst the world. As more drivers purchase EVs, this ratio is set to worsen, unless the government boosts the installation of charging points over the next year, SMMT states.
“We need swift action and binding public charger targets so that everyone can be part of the electric vehicle revolution, irrespective of where they live,” Mr Hawes went on to say.
Regardless of the type of car, drivers need to make sure they look after it properly, particularly during the winter months. EVs are subject to wear, tear and chipped windscreens as much as petrol or diesel motors, so it is essential to keep on top of any damage to vehicles.
To fix a windscreen crack immediately and avoid further breakage to the glass, give us a call today.