Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are continuing to ramp up, with a 110% increase in November compared to the same month a year prior.
New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 21,726 BEVs were sold in the month, representing 18.8% of total new car sales. This is compared to 10,345 and a market share of 9.1% in November 2020.
This year to date, there have been 163,022 BEV sales, representing a 10.6% market share, compared to 58,004 sales for the same period in 2020, equivalent to a 5.8% market share.
Indeed, 2021 has been a significant year for BEV sales, with September being the best ever month for sales with 32,721. BEVs have also now outsold diesel cars for the fifth month in a row. Only 5,939 diesel cars were sold in November.
But while SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes praised the continued acceleration of BEV sales as “good for the industry, the consumer and the environment”, he also warned of the pace of the public charging infrastructure rollout.
New analysis from the SMMT shows that only one on-street public charger is currently installed for every 52 new plug-in cars registered in 2021. As a result, Hawes has called for binding public charger targets.
Current on-street EV charging rollouts include those from Connected Kerb, which is planning on installing 190,000 public on-street EV chargers by 2030, and ubitricity, which is aiming for 50,000 on-street charging posts by the end of 2025, as well as the Liberty Charge project.
The SMMT’s figures come alongside sales figures from New AutoMotive, which also show strong growth in BEVs. New AutoMotive’s figures – from its Electric Car Count – show BEVs represent 18.96% of the new car market, with 20,212 sold.
New AutoMotive also identified EV hotspots, with 32% of all new car sales in Oxfordshire being EVs, with this followed by Newcastle (27%), Bristol (26%), London (24%) and Birmingham (22%).
