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Over 40% of the British Believe the UK Won't Ever Be Ready for EVs

The UK decided to ban the selling of new internal combustion engine-only cars and vans from 2030. Plug-in hybrids like the BMW X5 xDrive45e or full hybrids like the Toyota Prius enjoy a five-year exemption from the rule until 2035. This divided the country’s vehicle owners, and a new survey confirms people in the UK are not ready for EVs just yet. Many even think that the kingdom will never be able to make the switch. Here’s what the data’s telling us.
Tesla Model X at a Supercharger 6 photos
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Survey DataSurvey DataSurvey DataTesla Model X Towing a Chevy Silverado Out of the Supercharger AreaTesla Model X at a Supercharger
According to Her Majesty’s Government wishes, the UK must go on the all-electric path sooner rather than later. That’s why the decision to ban sales of new fossil fuel-hungry cars and vans from 2030 and hybrids from 2035 has been taken two years ago. When it was first announced to the public, people became concerned. But the good news is – there will be a transitionary period. Only new sales are going to be forbidden. We’ll still be able to go out with our gas and diesel cars or vans post-2030 and 2035. For how long… Well, that’s another topic entirely.

After two years of knowing these facts, the British had a lot of time to learn about them and think about their long-term car buying strategy. Many have reached an abysmal conclusion. According to a recent survey done on a sample size of 2,000 by Rivervale Leasing, 43.4% think the UK will never be ready for the all-electric era. In comparison, only 15.7% of those questioned answered 2030. Others picked 2040 (18.1%), 2050 (8.8%), and 2060 or later (14%) as the dates for when their country will go on the zero-tailpipe emission route.

When asked “Why don’t we feel ready for electric cars,” the surveyed people pointed at high energy costs, the EVs being more expensive, and range anxiety. Also, not having enough charging points is a worry.

The British have also said they will stick with their used petrol (30%) and diesel (15%) cars after 2030. Only 34% said they will switch to a hybrid, while 21% of the survey participants indicated they’d switch to an EV.

The same research also shows that the number of new all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars registered in the UK is growing, while new gas- and diesel-only vehicles are on a downtrend.

“Today, EVs take up 20.8% of the market share for new car registrations. We calculated the growth rate of new EV registrations in the UK since 2016 to be 1.09%. This includes battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). If this rate continues, it means that by 2030, the number of new EVs registered will increase to 41.87%,” explain the authors of the survey.
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About the author: Florin Amariei
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Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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