Most drivers realise the benefits – or potential benefits – of electric cars, but data from the DVLA demonstrates that take-up of the new technology is much slower than either car makers or the government would like.
Plug-in car registrations increased by just 14 per cent in the first six months of this year, while overall growth in the new car market actually stood at 17 per cent.
And tellingly, only 5.6 per cent of the government’s £300m electric car grant fund had been used by the end of 2012. Industry insiders have suggested that demand for electric cars stands at roughly a third of what manufacturers would like to see.
Some experts believe it shows that state incentives are not effective enough, since they do not make running an electric car necessarily cheaper than a petrol one. Owners have no idea how long their batteries will last, and the initial outlays are very high.
Issues such as purchase price, battery life, ease and speed of re-charge, together with questions over performance and re-sale value, are all likely to be resolved as the story of the electric car unfolds. But in the short term, it seems that government incentives are not effective enough to give the industry that all-important kick-start.
The governments of the UK and other European countries arguably have no choice but to ensure electric cars are a success, largely because they have such challenging CO2 emission targets to meet.
In the long-term, electric car technology should bring down the cost of motoring for all drivers.
As experts in the field of car breakdown insurance, startrescue.co.uk is naturally keen to adapt to and observe the changing face of automotive drive systems, but at present, it appears that the combustion engine will reign supreme – at least in the short to medium term.
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