Half-a-million ultra low emission vehicles now on UK roads

By Nicky Godding

6 May 2021

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Nearly one in seven new car sales so far in 2021 have a plug says the government, and drivers are never further than 25 miles away from a charging point (although that's a long way to walk if you do run out of electric!).

This comes as statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 13.6 per cent of new cars sold in the past four months had a plug, with ultra low emission cars accounting for more than one in 10 sales last year, up from one in 30 the year before.

The government has committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and to ensure all new cars and vans will be zero emissions at the tailpipe by 2035.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "As hosts of COP26, we want to drive decarbonisation on the global stage, which is why we’re going further and faster to make the journeys of our future as clean as possible.

"With news that the half-a-million milestone has now been met, together with the UK now having the second largest EV market in Europe, it’s clear that the shift to green motoring is accelerating at speed."

The government has pledged a £2.8 billion package of measures to support industry and drivers to make the switch to cleaner vehicles.

A significant number of EV models have seen price reductions in recent months.

More affordable batteries also mean that manufacturers have been able to increase the range of these vehicles, with many EVs now able to drive more than 200 or even 300 miles on a charge, so that motorists can use them for longer journeys.

According to Bristol-based Zap-Map, the total number of locations which have a public charging point installed is 15,065, the number of devices at those locations is 23,552 and the total number of connectors within these devices is 40,574. There have been 648 new devices added to the Zap-Map database over the last 30 days which equates to 1,065 new connectors.

Zap Map

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: "The automotive sector is transforming the way we drive, investing billions in ever greener and cleaner vehicles across the range, with 1 in 4 available models now capable of being ‘plugged in’.

"Over half-a-million people are already convinced by the incredible driving experience and we hope millions more will make the switch as Britain strives to become the best place to build, buy and drive electric vehicles."

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.