Figures have recently been released to show electric car sales last month in June accounted for one in every two cars bought in London. The actual amount was around 6,000 fully electric or hybrid cars registered in London for the month of June 2022. Overall they outsold petrol cars by more than 200 vehicles.
These figures were presented by the New AutoMotive, a non-profit organisation who have been set up to help increase the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The figures also show that London is leading the rest of the country in the switch-over to more environmentally friendly motoring.
London’s leading daily newspaper, the Evening Standard has launched a major campaign entitled Plug It In, which highlights the benefits of going electric and explores the challenges the capita; is currently facing to implement this task.
How the figures stacked up
The second most popular type of car sold was the fully electric car which relies solely on electric power stored in the batteries inside the car. The figures to come out were an incredible 2,932 registered in London, alone in June. The slightly less popular were the hybrid electric cars, which use a smaller onboard battery combined with a conventional internal combustion engine. The total registrations for June amounted to 2,909.
This means that 5,841 new electric vehicles in total were registered in the London area compared to 5,628 petrol and 697 diesel cars. What’s more noticeable is diesel sales have halved year on year as more and more consumers are switching to EVs and seeing diesel as a non-starter.
Factors contributing to increased sales
Further information which has been made available, shows that fully electric cars accounted for 24 percent of the new cars registered last month in London. The UK average for the same period was 16 percent. The actual figures are down in London by around 2,300 compared to the same period last year. This is mainly due to the parts shortages caused by the pandemic. Car dealers have also reported that the typical waiting time for new electric car deliveries for customers is around a year and demand is still outstripping supply.
The current fuel crisis is very bad news for Londoners and the United Kingdom as a whole, with diesel at around £199.9p per litre. On top of that, the imminent expansion of the ultra-low emission zone across Greater London by next August is helping drive the increase in drivers switching to electric.
The banning of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 is probably the biggest reason why we’re seeing such a large increase in car consumers switching to hybrid and electric vehicles. Electric vehicles have always been seen as the major avenue to go down when it comes to cutting carbon emissions from exhaust fumes, but concerns still remain about PM particulates emitted from brakes and tyres.
Infrastructure expansion
It was reported that in London alone, over 10,000 electric vehicle charging points have been installed but thousands more are still needed as the demand for electric and hybrid vehicles surges rapidly. It’s been predicted by London’s mayor Sadiq Khan that 40,000 to 60,000 chargers will be required by the end of the decade in order to meet the vast demand.
Looking for a quality used electric or hybrid car?
As stated earlier, as it stands right now, purchasing a new car, be it a conventional car, electric, or hybrid, you can be expected to join the long queue in obtaining one, due to the component shortage caused by the closures of vital chip manufacturing plants around the world affected by the Covid pandemic. One very popular alternative has been the focus on nearly new, second-hand, pre-owned, or more commonly known as a used car.
Used car dealers like WOO Carz who are based in Southampton, have been a major supplier for the London and UK car consumer market for over 6 years and have increased our stock levels, particularly for used electric, used hybrid, and a vast portfolio of quality used cars.
To make the switch-over as streamlined and easy as possible, WOO Carz offers a fully online, over-the-phone service which includes detailed images of all our used cars, specifications, service history, and a video demonstration of your chosen model. Even if you have outstanding car finance on your current car, we can still assist you with your upgrade, and we offer easy part-exchange, to help with your deposit or reduce your monthly payments if you decide to take on car financing.
To find out more about our latest offers and deals, call us now at 02382 543 928 and speak to one of our friendly advisors, or alternatively, click here to apply for instant car finance today.
WOO Carz Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference number 626798.