Car tax changes and grants key to support electric car uptake

In October, the one millionth electric vehicle was registered in the UK, marking a milestone moment for net zero and the Government’s zero emission aims. However, whilst the number of EVs continues to rise, supply chain issues present themselves as the biggest cause for concern for manufacturers.

The infrastructure currently in place to support an EV-centric ecosystem still requires much work to facilitate even the current number of EVs on the road.

For instance, dwelling time remains a substantial cause for concern amongst fleet operators as charging speeds are still a long way off from being as efficient as simply using petrol to fuel up.

David Savage, Vice President for Geotab UK and Ireland, said investment was vital for drivers to have confidence in the electric car revolution.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: “I think sustainability is key. They need to be able to bring those benefits to remain.

In the first three months of 2022, there were 2,722,060 company cars in the UK, an increase of almost 47,000 compared to the previous quarter.

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) launched the #SeeTheBenefit campaign to highlight the value of electric cars.

The motoring organisation demanded that plans be introduced to extend the current low tax rates for electric cars.

At present, Benefit-in-Kind tax rates have only been unveiled until the 2024/2025 tax year.

Despite this, Mr Savage said fleet investment in electric vehicles was already healthy and would be promoted further with more confidence in the charging network.

He continued, saying: “We’re starting to see a slow down of sales as maybe we’re moving into the next wave of people transitioning.

“It’s quite natural that early adopters are going to move first. It’s the next wave where the incentives are going to be key to help particularly in the consumer space.

“Cutting the grants earlier this year was a little bit too soon, that was the early adopter’s wave. It’s the next three, four, five ways that you’re going to have to worry about.

“The Government needs to look at the incentives, the education and infrastructure.”

At the end of October 2022, there were 35,778 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 21,378 charging locations.

This represents a 35 percent increase in the number of charging devices since October 2021, according to Zap-Map data.

There are also 6,508 rapid and ultra-rapid charging devices in the UK, a 75 percent increase compared to last year.

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