With the recent announcement from Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) that 23,083 claims have been made through the Plug-in Car Grant scheme, the total number of electric cars and vans in the UK is about to exceed 24,500 vehicles for the first time.

These figures are supported by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) which reports that 19,972 plug-in cars were registered in the UK by the end of 2014.

Taken together with the fact that at least 1,467 electric cars and vans which are not eligible for the Plug-in Grant scheme have also been registered, the total UK light-duty electric fleet will number at least 24,550 in the coming weeks as vehicles are delivered and formally registered for use on UK roads.

Given that the figure for the number of non-OLEV eligible registered EVs takes longer to become publicly known, it is highly likely that the total number of registered ULEVs in the UK now surpasses 25,000 vehicles in total (cars and vans).

Another indicator that the electric market is growing in strength is the number of fully electric and plug-in hybrid models available in the UK. While only 9 EVs were available for the major manufacturers in 2011, this increased to 18 models in 2013, and now stands at 29 high-quality, fully crash tested cars and vans with more models due for launch in 2015.

Dr Ben Lane, Director of Next Green Car said:

“The number of EVs registered in the UK continues to grow exponentially demonstrating that UK car buyers are continuing to embrace the EV revolution.

“Reports from new EV owners suggest that, rather than economic or environmental arguments, it is the dramatic improvement in driving experience that it really starting to change perceptions about electric power-trains.

“Recent research from Nissan also shows that driving range is much less of an issue than previously thought with European owners of Nissan LEAFs travelling more than 50% further per year (10,307 miles) than the European average for a petrol/diesel vehicle (6,721 miles).”

The latest EV model entrants include the Tesla Model S and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV which have already made their mark in the UK market. Other high-quality models now available include the Kia Soul EV (which NGC range-tested in December 2014) and the Nissan e-NV200, the latter bringing all the benefits of electric to the small van market.

Source: Next Green Car