UK car industry enjoys longest period of growth for eight years
UK car industry has its longest period of growth in eight years, but a lack of charging points is holding back the EV revolution
The auto industry has had its longest period of growth in eight years.
But data shows that the electric vehicle (EV) revolution is still hampered by a lack of charging stations.
About 145,000 new cars were registered in the UK in May – 16.7 per cent more than the same month last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed.
This was the tenth consecutive month of growth – the best growth since 2015 – but sales remain 21 percent below pre-Covid levels.
Gasoline cars were the best-selling cars, accounting for 57 percent of all registrations.
Off the tape: Around 145,000 new cars were registered in the UK in May – 16.7% more than last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed
But the number of new electric cars on the road has lagged – despite government plans to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2030.
All-battery electric car registrations accounted for just 15.7 percent of the market share so far this year, up from 16.6 percent in 2022 as a whole.
Some experts say the main reason for this silence is the lack of electric charging points being built, which is scaring consumers away. Analysis suggests the government will fall short of its charging infrastructure targets.
Last year, the Rijksdienst voor Verkeer en Waterstaat promised ‘to ensure that every filling station along the highway has at least six fast chargers by the end of 2023’.
But by mid-May, only 27 of England’s 119 motorway services have six or more powerful devices.
The ministers aim to have 300,000 public charging points by 2030. But at just over 40,000, the government needs to increase its average monthly installs by about 215 percent.