Every cloud has a silver lining and the fuel shortage crisis made many motorists realise two things.
One, we feel vulnerable if petrol and diesel pumps run dry and, two, electric cars are fast becoming a viable option for more drivers.
While drivers of conventional combustion engine cars were seeking out filling stations with fuel and joining the long queues, EV owners were spared the hassle and range anxiety.
It suddenly made plugging in and charging up a battery with electricity very appealing and a better option, even more so now that petrol and diesel prices are at record highs.
On Friday, September 24 – the day fuel shortages, and panic-buying, really gripped the nation and threatened to bring the UK to a standstill – online searches for electric cars in the UK soared 1,500% compared to the average daily figure, according to Google search data.
The research was commissioned for carguide.co.uk, and a spokesperson said: “It’s interesting to see how a shortage in fuel for petrol and diesel cars at the petrol stations can cause such a massive hike in online searches for electric cars across the country.
“This trend will likely continue, as more and more people become conscious of their viability, and almost every major manufacturer is committed to electrifying their vehicle portfolio – with the electric car ranges and capabilities increasing almost exponentially as new models come to market.”
Sales of pure electric cars in October were 73% up on 12 months earlier at 16,155 units – a 15.2% share of the new car market – despite total sales falling 24.6%.
For the first 10 months of this year they totalled 141,2196, an 86% rise on the same period of 2020. Plug-in hybrid car registrations are 90% up at 95,422.
So far one in 10 new cars registered this year has been pure electric while nearly 7% are plug-in hybrids.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders also reported that the uptake of plug-in vehicles has accelerated so rapidly that it forecasts more will join Britain’s roads this year than during the whole of 2010 to 2019 combined. Businesses and private customers are expected to register around 287,000 of the latest zero-emission capable battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars by the end of the year – around one in six new cars.
A total of 271,962 new battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles were registered between 2010 and 2019.
At Credo we take pride in knowing our market, so if you are looking to ‘switch’ to electric then give us a call and we can talk through your options.
Call 01603 381955 or e-mail [email protected]
