Britain is better suited for a switch to electric vehicles than any of its European neighbors

Britain is better suited to a switch to electric cars than any of our European neighbors.

That’s according to a new report that looks at how easily different countries could switch to electric vehicles based on current driving patterns.

Two-thirds of the UK’s cars and vans currently used by private owners and public sector organizations could easily be replaced by electric vehicles – and this would save drivers and businesses money, transport solutions company Geotab found in its analysis.

The claim comes despite Britain having some of the worst EV incentives compared to European rivals and major concerns about the move to battery cars, which have reduced demand in recent months.

The ‘Taking charge: towards an EV future‘ report analyzed driver data from 1.3 million cars and vans in seven countries over twelve months.

It found that 66 percent of UK vehicles currently on the road are ‘EV-capable’ based on two measures: this meant that they could easily be swapped for an electric vehicle, not that the actual vehicle could become one of made.

The first measurement measured the average daily driving distances recorded by motorists – and determined whether these could be covered by electric cars on sale today based on existing range.

It turned out that in order for an electric car to have a long range, it must be able to drive 98 percent of the days per year on one battery charge.

The second measure looked at whether switching to an electric car would save companies money over the life of the ownership.

Businesses would save an average of £13,279 per vehicle over seven years (a typical fleet replacement cycle), equating to a saving of £876,414 on a large fleet of 100 vehicles, the research concludes.

Businesses would save an average of £13,279 per vehicle over seven years (a typical fleet replacement cycle), equating to a saving of £876,414 on a large fleet of 100 vehicles

If the replacement cycle were extended to ten years – in line with the longer lifespan of electric vehicles compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts, thanks to savings on service, maintenance and repair (SMR) – this figure would rise to 73 percent, according to Geotabs.

The UK figure of 66 percent beat Canada (50 percent), Spain (43 percent), the US (38 percent), Germany (35 percent), Italy (28 percent) and France (20 percent).

The news that Britain is the best market for fleets to switch to electric vehicles comes after 2024 sales data so far has shown that electric vehicle use far exceeds purchases by regular motorists, while private sales of electric vehicles is stagnating.

Electric vehicle use outpaced the rest of the market, rising 21.8 percent to a total of 14,991 registrations, SMMT data shows. This accounts for 17.7 percent of the total number of registrations and is ahead of last year’s share of 16.5 percent.

However, private buyers will account for less than one in five (18.2 percent) of new electric vehicles registered in 2024.

Fleet electric vehicle sales will account for the majority of UK BEV sales from early 2024. If fleets were to switch to electric vehicles, this could reduce the amount of fuel consumed from conventional vehicles by 2.2 billion liters.

In addition to financial and logistical benefits, Geotab concluded that if fleets switched to electric vehicles, it could reduce 2.2 billion liters of fuel from conventional vehicles.

More than 19 million tons of CO2 emissions would be avoided over the next seven years.

In 2021 the UK produced 427 MtCO2e (million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) of greenhouse gas emissions, an increase of 5 per cent on 2020, according to figures from the Department for Transport.

Transport produced 26 percent of total emissions that year – 109 MtCO2e – and is the largest emitting sector. Some 91 percent of domestic transport emissions came from road vehicles – 100 MtCO2e.

Currently, the Earth is about 1.1°C warmer than at the end of the 19th century, and emissions continue to rise, figures show.

The UN has determined that to limit global warming to no more than 1.5°C, Emissions must be reduced by 45 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, as signed in the Paris Agreement.

Transport produced 26 percent of total emissions that year – 109 MtCO2e – and is the largest emitting sector. 91 percent of domestic transport emissions came from road vehicles – 100 MtCO2e. The adoption of electric vehicles by private and public companies could help alleviate this

David Savage, vice president for Great Britain and Ireland at Geotab, said: ‘The idea that Britain is not ready for mass adoption of electric vehicles is a fallacy.

“Rather, it’s time for UK businesses to ‘double down’ on the electrification of their fleets – not just for the good of the environment and our collective climate goals, but also for their bottom lines.

“A visionary CEO of a fleet company could effectively pay his own salary by going electric, thanks to the financial savings of electric vehicles.”