Oh dear what a shame EV sales in decline

klondike · February 06, 2024, 09:15:27 AM

Electric Car Demand Plummets Amid Backlash Over High Prices

Electric cars saw their market share plunge by a quarter in Britain last month, as hard-up customers shunned the high prices and soaring insurance costs. The Telegraph has more.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represented just 14.7% of new car sales in January, down from 19.7% in December, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

It comes after full-year figures for 2023 revealed that the market share of EVs was going into reverse for the first time, with many drivers still put off by high upfront costs, unevenly spread charging networks and big insurance premiums.

In a new forecast, the SMMT cut the predicted market share of EVs this year from 22.3% to 21%.

The industry body said 20,935 new EVs were registered in January – taking the total registered in Britain so far to just over one million.

However, experts warned that the lacklustre figures were a sign that consumers were shunning new cars in favour of second-hand alternatives.

The numbers will intensify industry calls for Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, to slash VAT on EV purchases in his March 6th Budget, a move that the SMMT claims would turbocharge sales.

The slump in EV sales growth came amid a wider market malaise, with private car sales tumbling by 15.8% in January compared to a year earlier.

Some 142,876 new cars were registered overall, up by 10,882 compared to a year earlier. However, the increase was weighted heavily towards fleet buyers such as car rental firms, which accounted for 90,314 sales.

https://dailysceptic.org/2024/02/05/electric-car-demand-plummets-amid-backlash-over-high-prices/

Scrumpy · February 06, 2024, 09:52:41 AM

I can't even get my kitchen light to work.. Heaven knows what I would be like with an electric motor..

JBR · February 06, 2024, 10:53:47 AM

I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole.
It'd probably burst into flames.

Raven · February 06, 2024, 11:05:03 AM

I've said from the start I won't ever have one, one of my friends here caved and bought a Hybrid car, absolutely gorgeous to look at and if it was petrol only I would have one in a heartbeat.
BUT, we shall see how it goes.

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klondike · February 06, 2024, 11:37:39 AM

Hybrids are included in the ban on new ICE car sales from 2030 or is it 2035 again now? I don't know. All I know is that I can't see it actually happening or if it does good used petrol and diesel cars will be worth a fortune. The infrastructure in the form of enough chargers and grid capacity just won't be there. The economic argument is already blown without even considering pay per mile charging which I see Khan has his eye on.

Diasi · February 06, 2024, 12:05:05 PM

The problem with an EV is that even a 10mph rear-end shunt that might do a few £hundreds of damage to an ICE car can do £thousands of damage to an EV, even writing it off.

Ashy · February 06, 2024, 12:08:14 PM

We already pay per mile in a reasonable way through fuel tax. I guess they have spotted that electricity is only taxed at 5% and it's not enough for the scrounging parasites.

Raven · February 06, 2024, 12:12:56 PM

Quote from: klondike on February 06, 2024, 11:37:39 AMHybrids are included in the ban on new ICE car sales from 2030 or is it 2035 again now? I don't know. All I know is that I can't see it actually happening or if it does good used petrol and diesel cars will be worth a fortune. The infrastructure in the form of enough chargers and grid capacity just won't be there. The economic argument is already blown without even considering pay per mile charging which I see Khan has his eye on.

They already are, the price of used cars here is shocking. My Yeti that I bought just before lockdown is now worth double what I paid for it.

klondike · February 06, 2024, 12:30:13 PM

That was because of the slowdown in new car sales because of shortages of chips. Those values will take a while to ease back but they'll certainly sky rocket again when ICE is no longer a new option.

https://www.ageas.co.uk/solved/your-car/why-are-used-cars-so-much-more-expensive/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20main%20reasons,to%20avoid%20long%20waiting%20times.

Raven · February 06, 2024, 12:33:35 PM

Of Course, I'd forgotten the reason the price shot up.

JBR · February 06, 2024, 01:02:27 PM

Quote from: klondike on February 06, 2024, 11:37:39 AMHybrids are included in the ban on new ICE car sales from 2030 or is it 2035 again now? I don't know. All I know is that I can't see it actually happening or if it does good used petrol and diesel cars will be worth a fortune. The infrastructure in the form of enough chargers and grid capacity just won't be there. The economic argument is already blown without even considering pay per mile charging which I see Khan has his eye on.

2035? It won't happen. Even now, sales of EVs are dropping as more and more people are beginning to realise their serious drawbacks.

Ours is a VW Golf, and they are now ceasing production of them, assuming that they will replace them with an ID3 (I think it's called). I assume they have converted all their production facilities to make them, being so short-sighted, and are probably now beginning to realise that they should convert production back to ICEs.

Clearly, our leaders are not the only ones who have backed the wrong horse!

Cassandra · February 06, 2024, 04:07:58 PM

But just when the tide of despair hits the 'Battery Boys' they celebrate their one millioneth sale (over twenty years!).

Spin will always find a way.

Keep warm this winter go and thaw out by an Electric Bus Fire! Beats the 4 minute shower and the new miracle 'turn everything off' misery solution.

Judd · February 06, 2024, 04:34:12 PM

The usual arse about face reasoning from our 'betters' who didn't think to put the infrastructure in place before trying to con people into buying electric cars to follow a green agenda. Who in their right minds would shut fossil fuelled power stations before introducing reliable green energy alternatives? With the closure of some atomic power stations, the situation has been made worse as there won't be enough electricity generated to power the increased number of houses, never mind electric vehicles.

JBR · February 06, 2024, 07:17:31 PM

Quote from: Judd on February 06, 2024, 04:34:12 PMThe usual arse about face reasoning from our 'betters' who didn't think to put the infrastructure in place before trying to con people into buying electric cars to follow a green agenda. Who in their right minds would shut fossil fuelled power stations before introducing reliable green energy alternatives? With the closure of some atomic power stations, the situation has been made worse as there won't be enough electricity generated to power the increased number of houses, never mind electric vehicles.

Yes indeed. This government seems completely unable to make the right decisions.
They have come to the conclusion that without their (completely unachievable) nett zero the world is going to turn into a desert through their suggested 'global warming', which they feel is something which we simple humans can prevent.

Ashy · February 06, 2024, 09:06:11 PM

Quote from: Judd on February 06, 2024, 04:34:12 PMWho in their right minds would shut fossil fuelled power stations before introducing reliable green energy alternatives?

I'd be the last person to suggest that the politicians are in their right mind, the career attracts the wrong people altogether, but on this point, there is no such reliable alternative. Maybe there will be one day, maybe not, and certainly not yet.