EV sales hit record in UK but still behind target

London: Last year, nearly one in five new cars sold in the UK was an electric vehicle. That’s a record, but it still didn’t hit the government’s goal of 22 percent. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shared that about 382,000 battery electric vehicles were sold, which is impressive but not quite enough.

The SMMT had warned earlier that carmakers might miss these targets, and if they do, they could face hefty fines for each polluting vehicle sold over the limit. But the government believes manufacturers can dodge these penalties in 2024 by using some flexibility measures, which consider emissions across the entire fleet.

Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive, pointed out that while electric vehicle sales are growing, it’s coming at a significant cost to the industry. He mentioned the billions spent on new models and the “unsustainable” incentives that have been offered. Hawes is calling on the government to rethink its mandates and do more to boost private demand, especially by improving charging infrastructure.

Looking ahead, the SMMT warned that the targets for 2025 will be even tougher, with the requirement rising to 28 percent of cars sold. There’s also some worry about the Labour government’s plan to ban new petrol and diesel vehicle sales by 2030, which was pushed back to 2035 by the previous Conservative government.

Overall, the number of new vehicles registered in the UK went up to nearly 2 million, a 2.6 percent increase from the previous year. This growth was mainly driven by business purchases, while demand from private buyers has dropped. Even with this growth, the car market is still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels.