Electric vehicle (EV) ownership in the UK passed a significant milestone in September 2022, with the registration of the nation’s one millionth plug-in car, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
But while the appetite for EVs among car buyers is evident, what is less clear is whether UK automakers will be able to keep pace with demand, both at home and abroad.
On the one hand, registrations of new EVs have seen far less impact from Covid-19 and the subsequent economic downturn when compared to registrations of new petrol and diesel cars, the SMMT notes. Of more than 225,200 new cars registered in September, almost 17 per cent were pure-electric models and 18 per cent hybrid-electric.
At the same time, EVs still comprise just a fraction of the total car population of the UK, as they do in most major markets. If automakers are to close the gap before the UK government’s ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars comes into...