In recent months, the UK has seen a rapid rise in the price of filling up at the pumps – adding to the ongoing cost of living crisis affecting millions across the country. But has this helped increase the likelihood of drivers switching to electric vehicles (EVs)?

A survey commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman has revealed that 48% of UK car owners are concerned about owning a fuel powered vehicle due to record petrol and diesel prices – leading them to making the shift to owning a battery powered car as their next vehicle purchase.

According to recent data, the cost of filling up an average family car with a 55-litre fuel tank recently hit more than £100 for the first time.

The survey of more than 2,000 UK car owners revealed that individuals aged between 16 to 24 (64%), and those living in Greater London (65%) are amongst the most worried about petrol or diesel vehicles.

The study also found that, nationally, a similar proportion of male and female drivers (46% and 49% respectively) are apprehensive about owning a petrol or diesel vehicle at a time of soaring prices on the nation’s forecourts.

In recent years, the road to electric has accelerated at speed – with more drivers considering the benefits of switching to EVs.

If you are looking at buying an EV for your next vehicle, this guide on electric cars will provide all the information you will need.

Also, to keep an eye on the average cost of charging your electric car at a public chargepoint, check out RAC Charge Watch.

Read more: RAC

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DfT says it wants to focus funding on expanding the public electric chargepoint network

The UK government is ending the last remaining subsidies for electric cars, arguing it will free up funds to expand the charging network and support other battery-powered vehicles.

In a controversial move, the government has closed the £300m plug-in car grant scheme to new orders on Tuesday, the Department for Transport said.

The main industry body said the move will leave the UK as the only big European country without any incentives for electric cars. Carmakers said the decision was not a surprise but “hugely disappointing”.

The government said the grants had created a mature market for ultra-low emission vehicles, helping to increase the sales of fully electric cars from fewer than 1,000 in 2011 to almost 100,000 in the first five months of 2022 alone.

Battery-powered and hybrid electric vehicles (EVs) now make up more than half of all new cars sold and fully electric car sales have risen by 70% in the past year, and represent one in six new cars joining UK roads.

The DfT said it wanted to focus funding on expanding the public electric chargepoint network, and £300m in grant funding will be directed towards extending plug-in grants to encourage sales of electric taxis, vans, trucks, motorcycles and wheelchair accessible vehicles, as announced in last year’s autumn statement.

Read more: TheGuardian

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European Parliament lawmakers on Wednesday voted to support an effective EU ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, rejecting attempts to weaken the proposal to speed Europe’s shift to electric vehicles.

The EU assembly voted in Strasbourg, France to require automakers to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 100 percent by the middle of the next decade. The mandate would amount to a prohibition on the sale in the 27-nation bloc of new cars powered by gasoline or diesel.

EU lawmakers also endorsed a 55 percent reduction in CO2 from automobiles in 2030 compared with 2021. The move deepens an existing obligation on the car industry to lower CO2 discharges by 37.5 percent on average at the end of the decade compared to last year.

The measure passed by 339 votes to 249 with 24 abstentions at a session in Strasbourg – in practice limiting future sales to emissions-free all-electric models.

Cars currently account for 12 percent of all CO2 emissions in the 27-member EU bloc, while transportation overall accounts for around a quarter.

Read more: France24

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At first glance the UK’s transition to electric vehicles looks like a policy success story. Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly visible on our streets; some 40% of drivers say their next car will be electric.[i] This shift is happening elsewhere, too, but the government can claim some credit for policies that have helped put the UK near the front of the pack: a 2030 target for ending the sale of petrol and diesel cars, a planned mandate on manufacturers to produce a certain amount of zero-emission cars (borrowed from a successful scheme in California) and subsidised EV purchases.

Lift the bonnet, though, and there are some problems. Charging infrastructure is not keeping pace with sales and, more worryingly, shows signs of being poorly thought through. And the benefits of EVs are overwhelmingly being enjoyed by the well-off, raising questions about fairness. How the government tackles these will be a test not just of its EV policy but its approach to net zero as a whole.

Read more: InstituteforGovernment

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form: