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It’s really a promotional campaign to get people either discussing electric vehicles or encouraging them to consider whether switching from conventional petrol or diesel power to battery power could be right for them.
Whether we like the idea or not, at some point in the not too distant future we will all have to consider moving to electric-only power for our car or van. If you are a truck, bus or tractor driver the situation isn’t clear, but if you currently have a petrol or diesel car or van and want to replace it after January 1st 2030, you will either have to hunt around for a good used model or you must buy either an electric-only vehicle or a hybrid model. Not all hybrids will be allowed…only those that can achieve a decent mileage using its on-board battery alone. However beyond 2035 even hybrids will be banned….it’s battery power from then on.
The UK government is determined to push legislation through to ban conventionally powered car and vans. Yes, 2030 is an ambitious date…..whether it happens then, time will tell….but we may as well get used to the idea that, one way or another, the days of petrol and diesel engines for the vast majority of people, are numbered.
The UK isn’t the only country where the motoring public is being encouraged to go green. From example Ireland, Denmark, Holland, Sweden and India are just some of the countries aiming for 2030. France is slightly less keen so they’re going for 2040. In the USA, their government will switch from using gas guzzlers to battery power in 2035. This accounts for around 700,000 vehicles so it’s not an inconsiderable figure. In terms of the general public, the Americans are tending to do things state by state. California for example has announced a ban from 2035. Australia is also doing things state by state…most will be aiming for 2035.
So, when it comes to reducing our carbon footprint, we are not alone here in the UK in targeting the motor car.
World EV Day will be a way to keep hammering home the message that we need to tackle climate change and that one way to do it is to reduce the amount of exhaust emissions. The government will ensure that car and van drivers have to comply.
Motor manufacturers are doing their bit.
For example the Volkswagen Group who, collectively, are one of the world’s largest car producers and earned more than any other car firm last year, are aiming to make at least half of their entire worldwide vehicle production battery powered by 2030…and almost totally battery powered by 2040. Their eventual aim is to be carbon neutral by 2050. These figures apply to the entire Volkswagen group, so that includes Volkswagen, SEAT, ŠKODA and CUPRA for example. Add the company’s entire annual group production together and you’ll find that Volkswagen, as a whole, produced 8.8 million vehicles last year. Bearing in mind that 2021 was a slow year as the world started to emerge from COVID and wrestled with a shortage of semi-conductors (microchips), that figure will rise. (They sold almost 11 million in 2019.)
Of course Volkswagen, SEAT, Škoda and CUPRA are already producing electric cars. Sales are climbing too. This is partly due to buyers becoming increasingly aware of the trend to go battery powered, but it’s also to do with other reasons such as the price of electric cars becoming closer to those of similarly sized petrol and diesel models; the potential range of electric cars is getting longer and longer; charging times are getting shorter and shorter; the choice is increasing with every passing month. Add all of those changes together and you will find that more people can start to discover that an electric car will suit their lifestyle.
Bearing in mind that the average daily distance covered by a UK motorist is around 25 miles, it is now totally feasible for an electric car to be charged on a Sunday evening and for it to allow an entire Monday - Friday commute without the need for another charge.
Longer distances between charging is allowing for holiday trips.
Shorter charging times means you can cover, say, 200 miles, and then stop at a service station, plug in your car, go for a cuppa, stretch your legs or pop to the loo, and by the time you get back to your car it will be close to being fully charged.
The recent dramatic increase in petrol and diesel prices has encouraged people to consider using battery power for financial reasons.
You can now tow with a lot of electric cars.
The number of charging facilities is rising rapidly. Okay, these tend to be at places where large numbers of cars would normally visit….service stations, shopping centres, park-and-ride facilities, large visitor attractions, hotels and even some restaurants. The next step will be to provide chargers in areas where perhaps people would park for the night. One option is to put a charger on every lamp post.
In other words, the infrastructure is catching up with the magnificent work that has already been done by the car manufacturers.
If you’d like to find out what driving an electric Volkswagen, SEAT, Škoda or CUPRA is like and whether going electric really will work for you, the best idea is to pop into your local Pulman dealership. You’ll be able to see the latest models, discover which ones will suit your normal routine and also get an idea in terms of costs.
As we said at the start, battery power is here to stay and it won’t be long before the petrol, diesel and hybrid options are no longer available….so…..we all need to get used to the idea of electric power, charging our cars and vans on a regular basis and doing a bit of forward planning if a longer journey is required.
Pop into your local Pulman dealership and take your first step on the road to driving electric.
There’ll be someone there who can help you and, if you’ve not experienced what driving an electric car is like, why not book a test drive.
Go on….we think you’ll be impressed.
Oh…and we’ll be celebrating World EV Day….will you?
