Sales of electric cars in the UK increased by 8% last month, compared to September 2011.
Don’t crack out the Babycham just yet, this increase equates to just 108 units sold for all of September.
As if that wasn’t deflating enough, the number of new electric cars sold so far this year has slipped by a fifth from 937 at the end of September 2011 to 749.
This is according to figures from the SMMT, which do not include sales of electric commercial vehicles.
The arrival of Vauxhall’s Ampera [above] and Toyota’s Prius Plug-In resulted in a 59% rise in the number of cars eligible for the Government’s £5k Plug-In Car grant in September and a 25% rise for the year-to-date.
Compare that to Norway, where electric cars made up more than 5% of all cars sold last month, and it’s fairly humiliating.
Norway
Over 600 new electric cars were snapped up by Norwegian motorists in September, taking the total number of EVs sold in the country this year to 3,162.
Sales of electric cars in Norway have increased by 122% in the last 12 months, thanks to a raft of tax incentives and benefits. Nissan’s LEAF is by far the most popular electric car amongst Norwegians, representing 55% of all EVs sold in the country (1,764 units).
Currently, there are more than 8,500 electric vehicles on Norway’s roads and it’s easy to understand why.
Norwegian EV owners can benefit from zero VAT, free parking, free road tax, exemption from certain tolls, and use of bus lanes in the Norwegian capital Oslo.
How EVs and hybrids have performed in the UK (click to enlarge):
Snorre Sletvold, Manager of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, reckons there could be 10,000 EVs in Norway by the end of the year.
“The sales figures show that Norwegians have a strong urge to drive electric vehicles,” he commented.
The Norwegian Government has invested heavily into charging infrastructure and the country now boasts over 3,400 charging points.
Sletvold expects the Norwegian Government and Parliament to build on successful EV policy and support more charging infrastructure when it announces its national budget for 2013 next week.
[Source: SMMT / Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association]
John has been writing about cars since the start of 2011, with a particular fondness for models with USB connectivity and a serious distaste for steering wheels with too many buttons. Can often be found trying to seduce 1.0-litre engines. When away from things that go brum, apostrophe snob John can often be found making noise with varying degrees of musicality.
John Simpson
October 04, 2012
Filed under: smmt
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