More than half of dealers (56 per cent) say that having no charger at home is the biggest objection they hear from customers considering an electric car. June’s Startline Used Car Tracker also shows potential buyers believe electric cars are too expensive compared to petrol or diesel (42 per cent), that the range is too low for their needs (42 per cent) and the battery might degrade quickly (39 per cent).
Chargepoint operator RAW Charging (“RAW”) has launched its new rebrand. The company, which operates electric vehicle chargepoints for the leisure, hospitality and premium retail sectors, said the new branding elevated brand reflects RAW’s commitment to innovation, customer-centric experience, and Connecting Amazing Places across the UK and Europe.
Analysts at Deloitte have called on the government to increase efforts to support the transition to electric vehicles, after sales of EVs “plateaued’ at the end of 2023. Sounding a note of caution after otherwise positive figures for new car sales, Deloitte said the UK would need to incentivise battery electric vehicles in order to meet the 22 per cent market share target, while access to sufficient public chargepoints remains a concern. Jamie Hamilton, automotive partner and head of electric vehicles at Deloitte, said: “While consumers have continued to purchase new cars in what’s been a strong year of growth for the industry, sales of electric vehicles (EV) have been positive but started to plateau towards the end of the year.
The RAC has announced that the Government has failed to hit its motorway services high-power EV charger target in 2023. Sue Robinson, chief executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) which represents car and commercial retailers across the UK commented: “It is disappointing to see that the Government has missed a deadline it set to have at least six rapid or ultra-rapid chargers at every motorway service station in England by the end of 2023.”
The UK’s Department for Transport has hailed “another step on the road to zero emission driving” with new statistics showing that 52,602 public chargepoints have been installed across the country. This figure, supplied by Zapmap, represent a 44 per cent increase on the equivalent number at this time in 2022. The DfT added that the statistic shows the country is “on track” to reach its target of 300,000 public chargepoints by 2030.
On Friday 15 September, the NFDA responded to the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee’s Electric Vehicle Call for Evidence which aims to better understand how the Government will achieve its upcoming 2030 and 2035 deadlines for the phase-out of non-zero emission vehicles and to understand the costs/benefits associated with the 2030 phase-out date.
Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, recently visited the newly expanded charging hub alongside Osprey CEO and Chair of ChargeUK Ian Johnston. As Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield, Mr Shapps welcomed the addition of greater access to EV charging in his constituency, supporting local decarbonisation efforts and the uptake of EVs both for residents and businesses, and for visitors to the area.
Transport for London (TfL) has awarded Zest a contract to roll out 39 new electric vehicle (EV) charging bays across 24 locations in south and southwest London by the end of 2024 including outer London boroughs such as Sutton and Bromley. The charging infrastructure will be placed in parking bays near key routes used for essential road journeys typically made by high mileage, commercial users – including taxis and freight.
The UK new car market recorded a third month of growth in October, with registrations rising by more than a quarter (26.4 per cent) to 134,344 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Fulfilment of strong order books helped deliver the bounce-back, although the increase follows a particularly disappointing October 2021 when deliveries fell by -24.6 per cent. In the year to date, the market is down -5.6 per cent on the same period in 2021, but still a third below pre-Covid levels.
The creation of a robust, reliable, and fit for purpose public charging infrastructure that enjoys the full confidence of EV drivers is central to mainstream adoption of electric cars. Mike Coulton, Volkswagen Financial Services UK EV Consultant believes the UK’s postcode lottery of public chargepoints may be contributing to ’charging anxiety’ among potential EV drivers, but suggests the conundrum of a lack of overall public charge points is a common misconception.
The first bespoke Electric Vehicle (EV) charging forecourt opened in Essex recently, regarded by some as heralding the demise of petrol and diesel service stations. The move is applauded by motorists who remain uncertain about the practicalities of charging EV batteries, including charging times and home charging. A recent survey from Venson Automotive Solutions confirms that 68 per cent of drivers would be more likely to make the switch to an EV if they knew they could conduct a rapid 30-minute charge at an electric forecourt rather than the inconvenience of charging their vehicle at home.
Hankook is supporting Volkswagen’s 20,000km tour of Germany to test the national fast-loading network. Starting in Germany winter sports town Oberstdorf, the VW ID.3 will visit more than 600 VW dealers and charging stations on the 65-day ID.3 Germany Tour, running on Hankook’s new Winter i*cept evo 3 UHP winter tyres. The tour concludes on the northern island of Sylt. The campaign vehicle fits 215/55 R18 99V XL tyres, and will be driven by Rainer Zietlow from CHALLENGE4 agency, a driver with significant experience in long-distance rides and holder of world records on all continents. He is accompanied by co-driver Dominic Brüner. VW’s tour includes visits to Hankook’s European headquarters in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt am Main and to the company’s European research and development centre in Hanover.
Charging an electric vehicle using a public charging point can cost almost 10 times more than charging up at home. This is according to Britain’s new-car buying platform, What Car?
A potential “charging crisis” could soon emerge among vehicle remarketing companies as electric vehicles start to make their way onto the used market in larger numbers, says the Vehicle Remarketing Association.
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has announced that Government funding for the installation of chargepoints on residential streets next year will be doubled to £10 million. According to the Government, “this could fund up to another 3,600 chargepoints across the country”.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
Volkswagen
SMMT
Go Ultra Low
Hankook