Electric Vehicle Owners Ditch Battery Power as Majority Selling an EV Return to Petrol
Owners of electric cars are ditching battery power and returning to petrol as industry data show that a majority of those who sell an EV don’t buy a new one. The Telegraph has more.
Range anxiety, a lack of public charging points and limited incentives are the key factors behind the dwindling desire for electric motors.
Car dealership chain Motorpoint Group said the majority of electric vehicle (EV) owners who sold their car in the last year didn’t buy another one – opting instead for a petrol, diesel or hybrid model.
The trend is continuing in 2024, with the latest registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showing a 2% fall in EV uptake since last May.
Uptake is strong in the fleet market where volumes have risen 11% in the last year, as businesses continue to offer employee benefits such as salary sacrifice to take on an electric car.
But convincing the mass market to make the switch to battery power is proving a hard task.
The difficulty comes as the Government falls well short of its car charging infrastructure targets, while increased tax charges are coming into force from next year, forcing EV drivers to pay an extra £180 a year in vehicle excise duty.
Mark Carpenter, Chief Executive at Motorpoint, said consumer confidence in EVs has been “undoubtedly impacted” by a multitude of factors.
“It’s clear that some drivers have found an electric vehicle isn’t right for them,” he said.
“There doesn’t seem to be one reason for it – instead it tends to be a range of practical, financial and lifestyle factors that lead motorists to the decision.
“Until we see proper financial incentives for EV buyers from the Government to meet its 2035 target, along with greater investment in charging infrastructure, I’m concerned we’ll see more motorists turn their backs on electric vehicles.”
Statistics from Motorpoint show that only 30% of EV owners part-exchanging their car in the past year chose to buy another electric car, with 36% opting for petrol, 11% diesel and 23% hybrid.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Vauxhall owner Stellantis has threatened to mothball its U.K. factories unless the Government relaxes its Net Zero rules forcing manufacturers to sell a certain proportion of EVs. The Telegraph has more.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
“Until we see proper financial incentives for EV buyers from the Government to meet its 2035 target, along with greater investment in charging infrastructure, I’m concerned we’ll see more motorists turn their backs on electric vehicles.”
Well, yeah, or you could just come and say what you probably really think which is that EVs are a stupid idea and we should ditch the whole thing. But no, the answer is always to shovel someone else’s money at “problems” created by the state.
‘proper financial incentives’ should be straight forward cost effectiveness – not bribes from the government.
A small electric runabout for town/commute use would probably suit us well – as a second car. But my idea of a suitable cost for a small runabout is about £1,500 with running/maintenance costs of about 30p/mile all up (on a 6,000 mile/year habit).
Indeed. I suppose an EV could work as a second car in the scenario you describe, though I doubt I would consider one without having off street parking and that’s expensive and unusual in town and city centres. We lived in London for > 20 years without a car – just got taxis when buses and tubes and trains were not convenient/available. Much cheaper.
Yes. When I can find a reliable EV for that capital outlay and running cost I reckon Hell will have frozen over due to climate change. For now, a 20 year old Skoda Fabia does the job. It should be good for another 5years or more (unless the bastards change the rules against it). It’s even Khan proof – not that I’d drive into London.
Driving into London during lockdown was marvellous! No traffic, lots of parking, not looking at muzzled twits on the train. These days it’s not so great, though if you set off early enough on a Sunday morning the journey down isn’t so bad, if you make sure you avoid the LTNs and do your research on where you can park for free.
I was working in London when the 1989 train strikes began. On the first day I drove in on my motorcycle. The traffic was so light on the Westway that I was able to adjust my speed so that I never stopped at any of the traffic lights all the way to Baker Street. Next day wasn’t so much fun. Easy parking for a bike then too.
Did you know they are going to ban ICE motorcycles too? Might be some pushback from the Hells Angels.
Bloody good solid cars, I’ve had two of them.
I don’t like it when they imitate a jet engine from under the floor pan.
So if there were ‘financial incentives’ to buy a horse and buggy, everyone would be buying them?
Good eating. The horse, not the buggy.
Lol yeah but it would get costly – extra land, money to build a stable, subsidised hay, someone to clean the crap, and of course permission to use your ICE vehicle whenever it suited you. See – every problem can be solved with enough of other people’s money (until it runs out).
Oil Drum Lane Shepherds Bush. Steptoe & Son.
Don’t worry, EV owners, Labour will soon sort out the problems and you’ll be able to charge your car quickly and easily.
🤭
They say a fool & his money are easily parted.
Powys Council: All new Council vehicles (not bin lorries) must be EV. But the drivers of them are not happy. Range anxiety and lack of charging are the main complaints I hear.
Why not bin lorries?
Probably because that would be too expensive. ie Not cost effective. That and the fact that the stored power required to stop/start the vehicle and run the lifting gear and compactor just can’t be done with anything other than hydrocarbon fuel.
Exactly.
I wonder where the electric tractors, lorries, heavy machinery, fighter jets, helicopters (air ambulance, police & military), ships are going to come from?
I’m interested to see the timescale for the introduction of electric tanks. Imagine, just for a moment, another land war (ie Ukraine) and having to stop for a few hours every so often to recharge the battery.
https://off-guardian.org/2024/06/25/talk-thread-assange-gets-a-plea-deal/
A little comment from Off-G on the Assange case.
When this question of EVs comes up people talk about owning one, the way we have been accustomed to do with ICE cars. But having considered the matter the issue is that if I could beg, borrow or hire one then OK I would use it as best I could but and its a big BUT I consider that EVs are more of a liability than an asset and I would not want to own one.
In my view EVs are not suitable for ownership by private motorists, the liability, costs and risks are not appropriate for private ownership.
And that seems to me where this whole business is going, public bodies and large corporate groups will run EVs; private motorists and small businesses (builders, electricians decorators etc.) will be sidelined. We may get community car clubs where you can borrow an EV when you want one but the days of travel freedom on the open road for us hoi-polloi are coming to a close.
It’s a good point. ‘You will own nothing and be happy’.
Being able to just hire a vehicle (EV or not) like a Zipcar whenever you feel like it and commute somewhere to work and not have to pay for it while you’re at work and be sure that you can get another when you finish work having stayed a little late and be able to hire a bigger car to take you and the family and dog off on a weekend away or a couple of weeks to the coast or hills of Scotland… and the machine will always be clean and serviceable and won’t cost you as much as owning one.
Does not sound possible.
They do similar in China but under the social credit system. Of course the “liberals” in the West are salivating to do that to us if they can get away with it.
My neighbour bought a battery Volvo 18 months ago, I bought his lovely diesel Volvo.
He paid £51,000 for it. Today, on car sales websites, it’s value is around £25,000.
All the ones for sale have extremely low mileage, from 800 miles to 5000 miles.
That’s marvellous! Averages out at £8.96 per mile for depreciation only!!!!!!!!
I’m a little surprised by this as I thought the manufacturers would just set up shell companies and then let them go bust when the tax demand came in.
It has always been the case that eventually the net-zero stuff would move from fluffy and cuddly to harsh and gritty. If the UK Gov are prepared to let the motor industry go to the wall over this zero emissions mandate then it will have a huge impact on the UK finances and the UK population. It will show that they are prepared to enforce the immiseration of the people for the sake of the globalist net-zero scam.
It often seems as if the entire British economy is built on just two things: buying and selling houses and financing the manufacture and purchase of cars.
Take one of those away and – whoops.
This is in a way related to why I think small-c conservatives are prepared to allow Labour to win at this GE. It won’t be nice but people must realise that Net Zero (and woke gobbledegook) has very severe implications. If the government has to choose between closing down car manufacturing or weakening Net Zero pledges I’ve no idea what a Labour government will do. Either option is bad for their credibility.
If they bow to the car makers and the unions the Green loons (like Ed Milliband) will go nuts. If they don’t, the unions will go nuts. As the Conservative party in government have discovered, you can’t keep Net Zero and the economy happy.
I and many others don’t really care what happens on July 4 2024. It’s the next election in 2029 (or a bit before) that really matters. If the people don’t oust them after a single term then it’s their own fault. I hope my kids and grandchildren will do OK in the coming mess.
I’m guessing the infamous EV depreciation rates meant that the person trading in their EV probably couldn’t afford to buy another
No shit, Sherlock. Those of us who stand back and consider issues carefully, in the round, could tell they are shite. Green communist ideas are ALWAYS rubbish and unworkable. These people are dangerously deluded and are dragging us down into an impoverished hell, with them
“Until we see proper financial incentives for EV buyers from the Government to meet its 2035 target,
That is easily resolved by just ditching the ‘2035 target’; it’s nonsense.
Proper financial incentives eh?
Sounds suspiciously like picking the pockets of poorer taxpayers (who can’t afford an EV) to encourage the virtue-signalling middle classes to buy one – probably to be used as their second car.
I hope all those Labour voters in Sunderland, Luton and elsewhere who work in the car manufacturing industry and its supply-chain have taken on board that Labour is going to sacrifice THEIR jobs and what remains of THEIR prosperity in order to pursue the Net Zero lunacy.
EV’s are the Betamax of the automotive industry. Novelty value only.