The UK will need more than 6 million electric cars on the road by 2030 if it is to meet its targets for reducing CO2 emissions, a new report from WWF concludes.
The conservation charity projects that at least 1.7 million electric vehicles will be needed by 2020 and 6.4 million by 2030 if the UK is to reduce dependency on oil. That’s equivalent to EVs representing a minimum of 1 in 17 cars on the road by 2020 and 1 in 6 by 2030.
Findings from the report ‘Electric avenues: driving home the case for electric vehicles’ show that a rapid introduction of EVs is needed to help the UK meet the EU target for an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.
The study, which examines three different scenarios, finds that the highest levels of EV uptake would lead to very significant reductions in UK fuel demand representing over £5 billion a year in avoided oil imports. Also in the highest case scenario, the combination of extensive EV uptake, driving less and improving internal combustion engine vehicles could potentially reduce UK fuel demand by 80 per cent and deliver a 75 per cent reduction in car emissions by 2030.
David Norman, Director of Campaigns, WWF-UK says: "It is vital that people start consuming and travelling less to make a transition to a low-carbon economy and reduce our dependency on oil and emissions from cars. Road transport accounts for 40 per cent of petroleum products consumed in the UK so a switch from conventional cars powered by petrol or diesel to EVs would have a much needed impact on reducing fuel demand. "
Further government subsidies and other incentives will be needed to help get the necessary number of EVs on the road. These incentives will have to attractive enough to overcome consumers’ concerns over price, range anxiety and lack of charging points.
WWF wants to see the world powered by 100 per cent renewable resources by 2050. According to the charity, while EVs aren’t truly ‘zero emission’ at the moment thanks to a lack of renewable electricity generation around the world, they will generate only limited additional electricity demand. This growth can be managed with deferred charging and smart grids to ensure peak demand is limited it concludes.
