The Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) have announced that 8,724 claims have been made for the Plug-in Car Grant scheme, meaning that the total number of electric vehicles in the UK is about to surpass 10,000 vehicles for the first time.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has also published figures which show that, as of 31 March 2014, 441 claims have been made through the Plug-in Van Grant scheme.
Taken together with 1,314 electric cars and vans which are not eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant scheme, but are nevertheless fully electric, the total UK light-duty electric fleet will number 10,479 in the coming weeks as vehicles are delivered and formally registered for use on UK roads.
Another indicator that the electric market is growing in strength is the number of fully electric and plug-in hybrid models available in the UK. While only nine EVs were available for the major manufacturers in 2011, this increased to 18 models in 2013, with more models due for launch this year.
Dr Ben Lane, Director of Zap Map and Next Green Car said: “The momentum in the EV market continues to grow both globally and in the UK, with the key indicator being the increasing number of electric models available to UK car buyers.
“With renewed Government support, in the form of the £500 million recently announced, there is no reason to see why the demand for electric vehicles will not continue to grow at a rapid pace in the coming months. By 2015, EVs may very well be a common sight on UK roads.”
As the chart of registrations by model shows (below), the Nissan LEAF continues to be the UK market leader, with at least 2,977 vehicles registered in the UK and representing over a third of all EV sales in the UK. In second and third places are two plug-in hybrids, the Toyota Prius PHEV (with 978 registrations) and the Vauxhall Ampera (680 vehicles).
Despite the market dominance of these three models to date, 2014 and 2015 is likely to see increasing competition from other manufacturers keen to cash in on a growing market. In particular, relatively new entrants such as the BMW i3 and the Renault Zoe will change the future fleet profile, as will the UK launch of the eagerly awaited Tesla Model S.
OLEV, Vehicle Licensing Statistics, Next Green Car
