Electric vehicles have been referred to as the ‘future’ of automotive, but is the 2030 target too near in the future?
In 2020, the Government set out a target to end sales of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030.
While the plans were set out to encourage a greener future of transport and take a step towards net-zero, they did not come without criticism.
Many believed that the target was too soon and was unrealistic.
Now, some members of the conservative party are suggesting that the Government rethink its plans, provoking questions around whether the target will stay in place or be revoked.
Shevani Wilson runs Motor Marketing, a marketing agency for the automotive industry, and drives an electric car herself.
Her company works with car retailers across the UK, speaking directly to their clients
While she is in favour of changes being made towards a greener industry, she says that not enough is being done to reach the target and the Government needs to invest in more infrastructure to make the plans possible.
She said: “There has been a big push on electric across the industry, but I’m not confident that the infrastructure is on track to support the Government’s plans. As an electric car driver myself, I could reel off the benefits; it’s a great drive, it’s more sustainable, it saves you money on fuel, the technology is amazing and as soon as you get into an electric car you immediately fall in love with it.
“Having said that, there are a lot of downsides which I feel will hinder the Government’s plans. For example, they set out plans to install 300,000 charging points across the UK by 2030, but we’re currently only at 61,000. They’re great for short drives, but if you’re travelling a longer distance you have to plan carefully to ensure the charging point you select to stop at doesn’t have a queue of other electric cars and factor in potentially an extra few hours for the charging time.”
A common concern among many people has been the price tag of electric vehicles.
Currently the cheapest electric car on the market costs around £22,000 and only comes with a range of 81 miles.
Shevani said: “We’re nowhere near price equality when it comes to combustion versus electric. In general, there is so much more to it than simply banning the sale of all new combustion vehicles. There’s sourcing the raw materials to meet demand – which are already in short supply. There’s re-training motor technicians who have only worked on petrol and diesel cars. Even in our company we’re supporting electric vehicle owners but are navigating unchartered territories ourselves. It has meant a lot of learning and training, which we have embraced.”
