With the news that UK MPs have claimed that the UK needs to ‘do better’ over electric cars, it’s safe to say that we are curious as to how true that statement is. The Public Accounts Committee claimed that the official 2030 target announced recently, that there would be a ban on the sale of new petrol or diesel cars, was unlikely to be met with how the country is currently operating. They claimed that urgent action would be needed in order to avoid missing the deadline, including the fact that EVs were too expensive, and that there were not enough charging points country-wide to handle demand.

The government, in turn, claimed that the country was on track to meet the target, with £2.8 billion invested into the car industry to help customers and dealerships make the switch to electric vehicles. 

Cost

While the government do offer grants for the purchasing of electric vehicles, the committee claimed that only 13 electric models on UK markets were currently under £30,000, meaning that the majority were far out of financial reach for those with limited budgets. While the sale of EVs has grown, this only makes up for 11% of car purchases and registrations, which is a far cry from the 100% adoption the government are looking for come 2030. The cost of at-home charging also needs to be considered, with higher electricity bills and for those without off-street parking or access to their home, the cost and hassle of charging away from home. 

How Far Off Are We?

The government’s goal is ambitious, to say the least. It’s one of the most drastic and radical moves that any country has made  to change and hopefully improve the direction that the automotive industry is going. If everyone could drive electric and do so with minimal or no disruption to how we’re used to moving around today, this change could be one of the best to happen to the environment in the UK. The question is, however, is it really possible to have every new car on the road an electric one by 2030? 

So far, the government have stuck with their target and claimed that they’re still on track, even allocating £1.3 billion over the next four years for the support of rolling out charging points publicly and at home. The cost of electric vehicles is also expected to drop as production increases, which could help to improve the overall uptake. 

However, the RAC motoring group have claimed that the government need to introduce or look at introducing incentives to encourage people to take the leap to electric vehicles. This is particularly important when looking at the fact that the plug-in grant currently available for buyers is not expected to continue beyond 2023. 

If you’re looking to buy an electric vehicle and want more information about servicing, or you already own a petrol or diesel vehicle that’s in need of repair or servicing in the meantime, get in touch with a member of our team, today.