Feature: Automotive


The impact of electric vehicles in the UK


By Steve Hughes, Managing Director, REO UK W


e are by now well aware that the UK plans to move up the ban on fossil- fuel-powered


vehicles to 2030 from 2040, to speed green recovery plans spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this means the days remaining to electrify the UK’s road network are rapidly running out. At the core of the green recovery


initiatives are plans for green energy and efficient electrical infrastructure. In the UK, the government plans to invest £73.5m in the automotive sector alone. It also intends to stop the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and vans by 2030. Still, the sale of hybrid vehicles that can go substantial distances solely on electrical power will continue until 2035. According to repair-garage company


Auto Adviser, the number of hybrid and other ultra-low emission cars registered in the UK rose by 22.6% in the second half


24 February 2021 www.electronicsworld.co.uk


of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. A green recovery in the transport sector could increase these figures even more and for longer. For manufacturers in the UK, this is a stepping stone toward changing the industry and developing more environmentally-friendly vehicles. Whilst electric vehicles (EVs) could


indeed hasten the green recovery, the world is still hooked on oil and its derivatives. This has been the case for over a century now, arguably going as far back as the 1850s. Petroleum has proven to be truly a wonder material, almost by any metric: in its crude form it can be refined into oils, fuels, lubricants, plastics and much more. Te usefulness of petroleum derivatives


is hard to match. Tis is especially clear in the context of transportation. For instance, a 40-litre tank of petrol contains over 1.3 gigajoules of energy. Creating a vehicle with this battery capacity, with a reasonable weight and cost, has always been beyond the reach of EV manufacturers until high energy-density battery chemistries were introduced more recently.


Costs When mentioning EVs, people often think of the high-end Tesla cars and their high-end price tags. Whilst it is true that EVs cost more to make, the savings and benefits they offer will vastly outweigh the costs of transitioning to them. From reducing carbon emissions to


improving air quality and saving on fuel, EVs present many advantages. A combination of government policies and market expansion could tip the scales in their favour. An analysis by the consultancy firm


Deloitte projects that by 2024 the cost to own an EV will be on par with that of a petrol or diesel car, which will boost demand further. Government incentives might become a decisive factor as well, with strategies such as the Plug-in Car Grant that covers 35% of the cost of an electric car or 20% of the cost of an electric van. Pure electric vehicles costing below £40,000 are also exempt from the Vehicle Excise Duty (annual road tax).


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