The future of the car industry in the UK is all electric, there’s no denying that. On top of being fun and easy to drive, they are also the answer to one of the biggest global concerns right now – climate change.
In order to meet the 2030 deadline when new petrol and diesel cars will be banned, the UK government needs to overcome quite a few obstacles to prepare the UK’s infrastructure. But what exactly does the UK need in order to be ready for its electric destiny? Let’s find out!
The Price Point
Unfortunately, one of the major setbacks when it comes to electric vehicles is the price point. Right now in the UK, it costs upwards of £30,000 for an electric car that has a decent range. There are much cheaper electric cars in the pipeline, such as the Seagull which is being manufactured by BYD.
The Seagull will retail for £8,400 and the basic model has a 190-mile range. As of August 2023, the Seagull has sold 66,000 units since its launch in April 2023, making it one of BYD’s fastest growing models. We can only hope that this affordable model makes its way to the UK very soon.
Combatting Range Anxiety
The perception that electric vehicles are unreliable is a huge one that the industry needs to conquer. Most electric vehicle models can now go to around 200-miles on a single charge, but the problem of charging batteries still remains a big issue. Tabloid headlines often suggest that upwards of 30 electric vehicle users will fight over one public charging point, but the truth is over two thirds of users actually have off-road charging points within their own home.
This means that they will leave their house every morning with a full tank, and come to charge it again that night. On average, most drivers in the UK only do around 20 miles per day, so a driver wouldn’t even need to charge their vehicle every day. This solves the problem of daily, short distance charging, but what about longer drives?
The Public Charger Problem
It’s no secret that the government is behind in their installation of public charging stations. Despite the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders calling for 2.3 million charging points of all speeds to be installed to meet driver demand, the government has set their target at 300,000 by 2030. Right now, it is projected that we will fall 100,000 short of that figure. The government says they can catch up, but annual output will have to double by 2025 for this to be attainable.
Right now there is also an imbalance in the distribution of chargers around the UK, with London and the South East seeing a much wider variety of charging speeds. However, over the last year there has been a huge increase in rapid charger installations, with Yorkshire seeing an increase of over 50% and the North East an increase of over 20%. This is amazing news for those looking for electric car rental in Durham, as their wait times will be cut down!
Conclusion
To sum up, right now the UK is almost ready for electric vehicles to be our sole car option. Whilst the sale of electric vehicles is on the rise, the government is not doing enough to develop the UK’s infrastructure to accommodate that.
We will need to see some very big changes in the coming years in order to meet the government’s 2030 targets.
