Pure EVs overtake PHEV sales for first time in four years Not since December 2014 have sales of pure EVs been higher than PHEVs Pure-electric cars outsold plug-in hybrids for the first time since December 2014, as the electric vehicle market continues its shift away from PHEVs and increased numbers of pure-EVs come to market. According to today’s figures (Thursday 4th July) from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK car market as a whole showed a 2.4% drop in overall sales during the month, compared with June 2018, but pure-electric sales increased 62%. with 2,461 EVs registered. Plug-in hybrids continue the category’s struggles in 2019, with only February’s performance exceeding the previous year’s. June was its toughest month to date, with -52% in registrations compared to 2018. The first six months of 2019 have seen an 8% decline in registrations of electric vehicles compared to the first half of 2018. Pure electric models have grown 61% in the same timeframe though, while PHEVs have dropped 31%. June’s figures are the first time the SMMT has broken down sales of mild hybrids and hybrids, whereas previously there hadn’t been clarity as to how the former fitted in with alternatively fuelled vehicles and petrol/diesels. Mild hybrids have shown huge growth since 2018, with petrol-based models up 456% and diesel mild-hybrids up 80%. This is predominantly down to the fact that there are far more models on the market than before, and the likes of Audi are replacing petrol- or diesel-only line-ups with mild hybrid engines. Table courtesy of SMMT Hybrids, which have performed well for some time, mainly thanks to Toyota/Lexus’s policy of replacing diesels with hybrid options, dropped 5%. Diesels fell 21%, with a market share of only 26% now after a couple of years’ of decline in confidence from buyers. The petrol market increased 3%. now making up two out of every three cars registered in the UK.
Origin: Pure EVs overtake PHEV sales for first time in four years
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EV charging sites overtake petrol stations for first time
EV charging sites overtake petrol stations for first time There are now more public EV charging locations than filling station forecourts New figures from Zap-Map reveal the extent of the UK’s electric vehicle revolution, with the number of public charging locations now surpassing petrol stations for the first time. Data from Zap-Map shows that as of 22 May, there are 8,471 charging locations across the UK, hosting a total of 13,613 charging devices. In contrast, as of the end of April, there are currently only 8,400 petrol stations in the UK, a figure which is continuing to decline. There has been huge growth in the UK public EV charge point market in the past 12 months, with the number of locations increasing 57% in that time. Charging points can now be found across the length and breadth of the country, from the Shetland Islands to the Cornish Riviera, from Giant’s Causeway to the White Cliffs of Dover. The expanding network supports an increasing number of electric vehicles on the road, expanding from only 3,500 cars just six years ago, to more than 210,000 currently. Analysts forecast that by the end of 2022, at east 1 million EVs will be in use in the UK, a figure backed by government policy that looks to electrify all new cars and vans by 2040. Ben Lane, co-founder and CTO at Zap-Map commented: “The public and private sectors are now investing heavily in the UK’s EV charging infrastructure to ensure that there are sufficient charging points to support the growing electric fleet. This month’s milestone reveals of the rapid pace of change already underway as the age of the combustion engine gives way to an all-electric era with vehicles offering both zero-emissions and a better driving experience.” In parallel to the increase in number of charging locations, new technologies are becoming available which offer higher charging rates. Whereas most ‘rapid’ units are rated at 50 kW, enabling a standard EV to be fully charged in 40 minutes, the latest ‘ultra-rapid’ units are capable of up to 350 kW; ready for the next generation of longer-range electric vehicles. References: Public EV charge point location information from Zap-Map’s database, both historical and current, covering the United Kingdom. Petrol station data from Experian Catalist Market Summary Report, April 2019, with historical downward trend highlighted by Statista. Zap-Map at the Fully Charged Show Next Green Car’s sister-company Zap-Map, the UK’s leading EV charge point platform, will be exhibiting at the Fully Charged Show in Silverstone from 7th to 9th June. The team are looking forward to meeting Zap-Map and EV users and will be celebrating the recent securing of investment from Good Energy, which supplies clean power, sourced from its own generation assets as well as from independent UK-based renewable generators. Come and meet us on Stand C54. Image courtesy of
Origin: EV charging sites overtake petrol stations for first time
VW adds electric-car plants in China to overtake Tesla numbers
VWs power bank for electric cars—the companys solution for a mobile quick-charging station.Handout / Volkswagen In about a year, Volkswagen Group may catch up to Tesla’s capacity to make electric cars. VW said Tuesday it is building two plants in China to produce a total of 600,000 vehicles on its dedicated battery-car platform, MEB. The new factories in Anting and Foshan will open a few months after Germany’s Zwickau, which will assemble as many as 330,000 cars annually and is slated to get started by year-end. Following through with plans to reach this level of scale will likely leave Tesla trailing behind. Its lone vehicle assembly plant operating in Fremont, California, can make about 500,000 cars. The electric-car leader expects to start output on the outskirts of Shanghai at the end of this year and produce 250,000 vehicles a year initially. VW has little time to lose after Tesla resolved manufacturing problems in Fremont and its battery factory near Reno, Nevada, which may start also building Model Y crossovers. While Model 3 sedan deliveries tailed off in the first quarter following a strong second half of 2018, CEO Elon Musk has dismissed concerns about demand and stuck to a forecast for as many as 400,000 vehicle deliveries this year. VW plans to produce some 70 battery-powered models across its 12 auto brands by 2028 and make 22 million electric cars over the next decade. CEO Herbert Diess, who says alternative technologies like fuel-cell cars will struggle to compete, is helming the auto industry’s biggest effort in the transition from combustion engines costing some 30 billion euros (US$34 billion). Volkswagen leads the competition on e-mobility, Diess said in speech notes at the company’s annual meeting in Berlin. As a company, we’ll make a success of the electric car—with the right products, superior underpinnings and global economies of scale. The German automaker, which is also considering sites for more electric-car plants, this month opened reservations for its electric ID3 hatchback. It’s garnered more than 15,000 orders from buyers putting down 1,000-euro deposits. Tesla, meanwhile, is mulling a factory in Germany, Musk said in a tweet last month. Last year, he stated that Europe’s No. 1 market was the leading choice for a car and battery site in
Origin: VW adds electric-car plants in China to overtake Tesla numbers
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