Monthly Archives: November 2022

Comment: What will electric car tax mean to EV drivers like me? How much will it cost?

November 30, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, Fleet, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

After any budget announcement there is always a great deal of hand-wringing from those who are suddenly being taxed more, or feel that incentives don’t go far enough.

This time, it is the turn of electric car drivers like me.

The chancellor stood up today and said that the zero rate for road tax on electric cars is going to end. In addition, benefit-in-kind rates for company car drivers making the switch are going to rise 1% per year from 2025.

There are concerns, of course, but generally the reaction from electric car drivers across social media has been much less angry than expected.

Drivers seem to acknowledge that the change was inevitable as electric cars became more popular and the hole in the government’s finances became bigger.

Battery electric vehicles have accounted for 14.6 per cent of the total new car sales so far this year, outstripping the demand for diesel.

The share is growing fast, with registrations up nearly 40 per cent this year, meaning there are now more than a million plug-in vehicles on British roads. That’s a lot of tax to give away for free.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Autumn Statement: Company car tax to increase by one percentage point

November 29, 2022Electric Cars, Fleet, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

The Government has announced in the Autumn Statement that benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax for electric vehicles (EVs) will continue to be kept low to increase uptake.

The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said he had listened to the fleet industry and would increase company car tax for EVs by one percentage point year-on-year for three years from 2025.

Currently, BIK for a pure EV is 2% (2022/23) and remains at that rate up to April 2025. The Chancellor’s announcement means that it will increase to 3% in 2025/26, to 4% in 2026/27, and 5% in 2027/28.

Paul Hollick, chair of the Association of Fleet professionals (AFP), said: “We have been strongly expressing that the position of EVs in the UK fleet sector remains at a relatively early stage of adoption and the increases in company car taxation, of 1% percent per year, seems well-judged to us at first glance.

“Crucially, they will allow fleet decision makers to plan for the second half of the decade as they continue the process of electrification.

“This is something for which we have been campaigning in conjunction with BVRLA and it is to be welcomed.”

Ashley Barnett, head of fleet consultancy at Lex Autolease, said that the publication of company car rates beyond 2025, “reaffirms” the Government’s commitment towards a greener future and gives decision makers the clarity they need to accelerate their transition towards EVs.

Long term report: Cupra Born makes a case for EV motoring masses

November 28, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

It is easy to see the potential velocity of UK new car buyers’ uptake of electric vehicles in the years ahead. The more drivers that have an EV, the better the understanding their friends and family gain and the fear and ignorance begins to disappear.

Around AM’s home city of Peterborough the game of spotting other electric cars by their green-edged number plate has become a routine, and even on the brief school run we’re counting into double figures.

In the months I’ve spent running this Cupra Born it has convinced my wife that the next car after her current diesel Volvo estate will be an EV.

Her remaining reservation is that we have “only” one Podpoint charger at home, which amuses me given that I plug my Cupra Born into it just one night – occasionally two – per week.

The fully charged range of around 220-240 miles is sufficient for most private motorists, I would contend.

The Cupra Born has converted our friends too. They first experienced EVs on a night out to a neighbouring city almost a decade ago in a first generation Nissan Leaf I was testing, when, I admit, we were all slightly nervous as its 120-mile official range rapidly diminished.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Sales of used electric vehicles reach record highs – but rest of the market feels full impact of stock shortage

November 25, 2022Buying a new car, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

According to a new report published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), used battery electric vehicle (BEV) demand reached record levels in Q3, as sales grew by 44.1% to 16,775 vehicles.
However, the UK used car market saw transactions fall 12.2% in Q3, with only 1,785,447 vehicles changing hands.

This is the second consecutive quarter of decline as new car supply shortages are being blamed for the drop in sales.

This is the first time that Q3 transactions have fallen below two million since 2015.

The SMMT believe that semiconductor shortages that are impacting a healthy supply of stock is the core issue.

This is further shown in the year to date information, as sales are now down 9.7% to 5,319,482 compared to the previous year.

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Despite the challenges facing the wider industry, there is positive news for the electric vehicle market.

Used BEV sales have now reached 48,032 in the year to date (January to September 2022).

The market for used hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) also grew, up 2.5% in the quarter with 41,479 transactions.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Shift to electric cars happening too slowly to avoid “climate catastrophe,” report finds

November 24, 2022Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Major automakers and governments have avowed that the future of cars is electric. And with transportation making up about a quarter of the carbon pollution emitted by humanity, scientists say phasing out gas- and diesel-powered cars is imperative for there to be any hope of avoiding the worst effects of global warming.

But the shift away from fossil-fuel burning cars is happening too slowly to stave off climate catastrophe, according to a report released by Greenpeace this week.

“Leading auto manufacturers, including Toyota, Volkswagen, and Hyundai, are transitioning far too slowly to zero-emission vehicles, which has dangerous consequences for our planet,” Benjamin Stephan, climate campaigner at Greenpeace Germany, said in a statement. “Toyota, Volkswagen and other leading automakers are on a collision course with the climate.”

The researchers calculated how many new gas-guzzlers humanity can afford to put on the roads, assuming that global temperatures are on track to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Keeping global heating below that level is essential to avoid catastrophic effects, including runaway ice melt and sea-level rise, scientists say.

Under that limit, the world’s carmakers can build and sell 315 million gas-burning cars between now and 2050, Greenpeace calculated. However, carmakers have already planned to produce and sell nearly twice that number of gas-burning cars, the group’s analysis found — 645 million to 778 million light-duty vehicles over the next 25 years.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Fastned and MFG EV Power rated the best UK charging networks

November 23, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Fastned and Motor Fuel Group (MFG) EV Power have been announced as the joint highest ranked EV charging networks in the UK, according to a Zap-Map survey.

The chargepoint mapping service conducted a survey in which 4,300 EV drivers specified which charging network they believe is the best. This has been released as part of the annual public charging network satisfaction rankings.

Respondents rated their overall satisfaction for the networks they use regularly, which was then used to rank each network out of a maximum of five stars.

Rapid Charging Step 1: Access the Rapid Charger (Image: T. Larkum)

The respondents also rated their level of satisfaction with the networks in five key areas including reliability, ease of use, customer support, value for money and payment options.

Taking the top spot in joint first place are two ultra-rapid networks in Fastned and MFG EV Power, who each scored 4.0 in the overall ratings. Zap-Map said the two networks scored particularly high for reliability and ease of use.

A recent survey led by Paythru indicated that 80% of UK drivers may be deterred from driving an EV due to poor experience at the chargepoint. One of the primary issues with the poor charging experience comes with difficulties in finding an EV chargepoint when it is required.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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First Drive: Is the MG4 EV the car to tempt buyers away from well-established brands?

November 22, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, MG, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

MG is broadening its EV line-up with the new MG4. Ted Welford gets behind the wheel.

The modern-day MG is a far cry from the one that produced classic British sports cars, but it’s proving no less successful. Owned by Chinese automotive giant SAIC Motor, MG is the fastest-growing car brand in the UK and sales have grown by 70 per cent in 2022 alone (up to the end of October).

It now sells more cars here than the likes of Land Rover, Mini and Skoda, and much of its success has come from its electric models – the ZS EV crossover and MG5 estate. The brand is now expanding further with the new MG4, its first electric hatchback and one that’s set to grow this brand even further. But is it set to succeed?

What’s new?

The MG4 is the first model to be based on a new electric car platform. (MG)

The MG4 is the first model from the firm to use a bespoke EV platform that will go on to be used in a number of electric MGs in future years – the key advantage to this being that it’s rear-wheel-drive and uses a thin battery that takes up minimal space.

The MG4 also shows a more adventurous design direction for MG, though more on that later. But crucial to the appeal of the MG4 is its price, which starts from £25,995, and undercuts rivals by a significant chunk of money.

Norway’s BEVs Still Growing Well, Even While PHEVs Fall Away

November 21, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, VolkswagenRepost

Norway’s auto market saw 86.4% plugin electric vehicle share in October, down year on year, from 89.3%. Full electrics grew share by 7.5% YoY, but were outweighed by a drop in plugin hybrids. Overall auto volumes were 12,558 units, up 8.5% YoY, and above the pre-2020 seasonal norm of 11,635 units. October’s bestseller was the Volkswagen ID.4

October’s overall plugin result of 86.4% comprised a near record 77.5% full electrics (BEVs), and 9.0% plugin hybrids (PHEVs). These compare with shares of 70.1% and 19.2%, YoY.

Only in March 2022, and December 2021, have BEVs seen substantially higher share, but the overall result was let down by the downward trend in PHEV share.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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How pop band A-ha inspired Norway’s electric car revolution

November 18, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Norway is miles ahead of the UK when it comes to electric cars and much of its early lead is thanks to an unlikely collaboration between environmental activists and the pop group A-ha.

Back in the 1980s, two leading lights in the Nordic environmental movement were pushing for electric vehicle (EV) technology but it just wasn’t being noticed.

But then they recruited the country’s biggest pop group to help push the issue into the mainstream.

A-ha were one of the most popular bands in the world after international hits such as Take on Me and the Sun Always Shines on TV.

They even recorded the theme tune to the 1987 James Bond movie The Living Daylights.

Charging points will be upgraded and up to 20 new outlets will be installed

Together, the campaigners and the group went to Bern in Switzerland to attend the Tour de Sol exhibition in 1989.

Here they saw a Fiat Panda which had been converted from petrol to electricity.

They imported a similar car into Norway and used the first modern-day EV on the country’s roads to launch a campaign of civil disobedience, making a point about how it needed to embrace an alternative to polluting fossil fuel vehicles.

They racked up fines as they drove the car through toll booths, parked illegally and refused to pay vehicle taxes, arguing that this new form of sustainable transport should be free of these levies in order to make it more attractive.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Does It Cost More To Run An EV Or An ICE?

November 17, 2022Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Along with the environmental benefits, one of the main advantages of owning an electric vehicle (EV) is their relatively low running costs.

Charging a battery is much more affordable than filling a tank, and EVs are often more reliable than petrol and diesel cars since they have fewer moving parts that can fail.

However, a single tank of fuel will take you much further than even the most efficient EV battery. Add to that the jump in electricity prices that took place on 1 October, and you may need to consider the cost of owning an EV more carefully.

How much does it cost to charge an EV?

The price of charging an EV depends on where you do it.

At home

Charging an EV at home is usually the most cost effective option. You can charge the car using a domestic three-pin socket, but installing a dedicated EV charger will deliver power much more quickly.

Installing an at-home EV charging point typically costs around £1,000.

With the government’s Energy Price Guarantee capping the cost of electricity at 34 pence per KWh in October 2022 (until April 2023), fully charging an EV at home will cost:

£12.51 to fully charge a small EV (VW e-Up!)
£13.60 to fully charge a medium sized EV (Nissan Leaf)
£24.14 to fully charge a large EV (Audi e-tron)

It’s Time to Go Green!

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