Recurrent’s Post

Quentin Willson, Founder FairCharge: “A million EVs on our roads is a #cleanair and #energytransition milestone of which the U.K. should be proud. But we need to build an EV and #battery industry in the U.K. that supports British companies and British jobs. GOV.UK can help make that happen only if it has a long term industrial strategy. "There are various sensible levers that can be pulled to help accelerate the transition to EVs, including lowering VAT on #publiccharging to 5% from 20% to take the sting out of public charging costs for those who do not have off street parking.” Stop Burning Stuff Octopus Electric Vehicles Fiona Howarth Gill Nowell ⚡️George Thurman 🔋 Ade Thomas Circulor Douglas Johnson-Poensgen Luise Müller-Hofstede Sarah Maryssael Tara Berrie Abigayle André GDI Rob Anstey Richard L. Green Lithium Richard Taylor Guy H. Dr. Andy Palmer CMG Pod Point Ian Johnston Osprey Charging Network ChargeUK Auto Trader UK Laura Harvey E.ON Dev Chana Allye Jonathan Carrier AEROVOLT Jasper Jolly Rachel Morison Nick Carey Yusuf Khan Thomas Kavanagh Gabriela Farhangi Steve Fowler

Forecasting the trajectory of EV sales in the UK is a black art that results in the sort of confusion we saw last week from the Office for Budget Responsibility, which cut its EV forecast to 38 percent of new car sales in 2027. Just six months ago in March, its estimate was 67 percent. Sophus3 champions the use of consumer online data to improve the accuracy of such predictions and the Sophus3 EV Index has been clearly pointing to a loss of momentum for EVs. The Index uses data from the Sophus3 eDataXchange partnership of car brands, which shows that consumer interest in electrification has largely stalled, with pricing disparities between EVs and non-EVs the biggest challenge. The early adopters have adopted, and the UK government will need to look at different measures—perhaps borrowing ideas from Norway and The Netherlands—if it wants to get EVs back on track. The EV Index is published quarterly for the European Big 5 markets, The Netherlands and Norway: https://lnkd.in/eehchMuh Follow Sophus3 to receive updates. #ev #electricvehicles #electricandhybridvehicles #EVIndex #automotiveindustry #automotivemarketing #digitalmarketing #analytics #tesla

It’s taken just over 20 years to reach our million EV milestone – but with the right policies, we can double down on that success in just another two. Market growth is currently dependent on businesses and fleets. Government must therefore use the upcoming Budget to support private EV buyers, temporarily halving VAT to cut carbon, drive economic growth and help everyone make the switch. Manufacturers have been asked to supply the vehicles, we now ask government to help consumers buy the vehicles on which net zero depends. https://lnkd.in/ecDzxNXv

EAC-PM proposes mandating EV sales by all automakers. Suggestions include transferable mandates for EV percentages in production, promoting leasing, and increasing EV adoption in government fleets. Read more at: https://ow.ly/4IGA50QMfRz #EACPM | #EV | #Automakers | #SalesMandate | #GovernmentFleet | #EVAdoption

Last year was a record year in terms of volumes of EV uptake but marked a slowdown in terms of the UK’s transition to EVs, as the proportion of sales fell significantly below the 2024 ZEV mandate, according to the latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures.   Long-term commitments made by government have helped to support uptake, but it’s clear more needs to be done by policy makers, OEMs and the wider industry to drive adoption levels to ensure the UK remains an attractive place to invest.   Nick Williams, Transport Managing Director at Lloyds Banking Group comments on the figures here: https://lnkd.in/eXjfzwNq

This raises two central questions for car brand leaders. Consumers are increasingly evaluating EVs based on how well they meet their overall needs, beyond the allure of new technology. This shift brings OEMs to a critical juncture – the need to justify the higher cost of EVs. A strong brand promise alone may not be sufficient in today’s economically challenging environment. Our extensive automotive data insight shows that digital customer experience (CX) is a key differentiator. A subpar digital CX can significantly increase the likelihood of consumers switching brands. This situation raises two essential questions for car brand leadership: 1. Does our digital CX effectively reinforce and deliver on our brand promise? 2. Can our digital CX therefore justify the price difference, not only compared to our non-EVs but also relative to competitors’ EVs? The introduction of cost-effective Chinese EVs adds urgency to these questions. Based on best practices observed in the industry, it’s vital for OEM leadership teams to align their digital marketing strategies across departments and markets, ensuring every digital interaction strengthens the brand and influences consumer decisions favorably towards EVs. My experience as head Coach at Sophus3 in working with car brands has consistently highlighted the effectiveness of a data-driven, cross team-based approach in achieving this.

When will electric cars reach price parity with petrol / diesel cars? To quote directly from this excellent report from New AutoMotive: 💡EV upfront costs were 12% more than petrol equivalents, not the 50% often cited. ⚖️ Upfront price parity, or payback in less than 1 year, for the electric vehicle choice in 6 out of 20 (30%) scenarios. 📊 In a further 5 out of 20 scenarios (25%), payback in 2 1⁄2 years or less. 🛞 Motorists with average mileage could save up to £7000 over the next 4 years by choosing an EV over a petrol equivalent, and a minimum of £3,000 over 4 years, whether they lease or buy by PCP or outright; more if they drive higher mileage. Thank you Ben Nelmes and team for shedding essential light on this. Electric cars not only go the extra mile, but save you money too. #electricvehicles

The UK is seeing another surge in demand for electric vehicles, with the country now having surpassed one million registrations for battery electric vehicles, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

This week in EVs... Sales of EVs are surging ahead for corporate buyers (fleets being responsible for 5/6 of the 10% year on year growth in EV sales) and in the used car market (up 71% year on year). Both these markets don't have the big price premium that private buyers of new EVs face. As our research (https://lnkd.in/eBhtai4p) showed, this price premium creates a feeling of risk. This risk seems bigger now with the squeeze on household incomes, and with higher electricity prices since Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine. The sustained media misinformation plays on this feeling of risk. Take away the higher upfront cost (which everyone expects to happen in a couple of years) and perceptions of risk will decline and misinformation will be much less effective. Subsidies or VAT cuts (as proposed by the SMMT) could be one approach to address concerns over current EV take-up but evidence from Italy and elsewhere shows fiddling with adding and taking away subsidies creates more uncertainty and hinders sustained growth. So while we wait for prices to come down and lower cost models to be available, the best thing for government to do is to properly back a strategic comms approach to address misinformation. Time for Ministers to step up and own their EV policies. Bill Esterson Richard Coates Transport & Environment UK (T&E UK) Quentin Willson Bob Moran Rosalind Marshall

Electric vehicle buyers have already saved $1B through IRA credits this year! Lower costs and cleaner air are within reach. Let's keep pushing for robust EV policies! #DriveClean https://lnkd.in/eW-_tbtt