These EVs will be a mixture of fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids which have an electric engine as well as a petrol or diesel engine. Whilst Volvo’s announcement is the most far-reaching, other manufacturers are on a similar trajectory with Jaguar Land Rover expecting that 50% of their vehicles will be electric by 2020.
Volvo’s announcement follows news that UK sales of EVs have continued to increase, rising by 22.2% in 2016 and now constituting a 3.3% share of all sales. A recent report from Carbon Tracker suggests that EVs will swell substantially to a third of the car market as soon as 2035. This shift to EVs brings two clear benefits: EVs use less energy due to the considerably higher efficiency of electric motors compared to internal combustion engines and, as electricity generation becomes increasingly renewable and low-carbon, EVs will reduce carbon emissions.
The rapid growth in the number of EVs on the road means that more charging points are needed for refuelling. More and more public charging stations are being installed and, based on current trends, it is possible that there may be more charging points than petrol stations (the number of which is reducing) as early as 2020. In line with this accelerating trend, the UK government are working to promote EVs and improve infrastructural support to make them easier to use. Legislation was announced in the Queen’s Speech in June that will require the installation of EV charging points at motorway services and large fuel retailers in order to ensure ease of access. Isoenergy are installing an increasing number of electric car charging points at people’s homes and businesses, some of which can charge most EVs to 80% capacity in 30 minutes.
Guest blog written by Calum Harvey-Scholes
