James McKemey, head of insights, Pod Point
EV sales will continue to grow
It seems a safe bet that EV sales will continue to grow through 2022. We would estimate that total monthly sales of all plug-in vehicles (BEV + PHEV) will exceed a third (33%) of all new car sales for at least one month, with BEVs continuing to outsell PHEVs.
Increased accessibility
We will also see significant strides for the accessibility and safety of public charging infrastructure for disabled and vulnerable users, with the formation of industry best practice guidelines before the end of 2022.
Used EV sector to grow
We are also likely to start to see an increased supply of used EVs, driven by company cars that were leased under the reduced BIK regime, which came into force in April 2020, filtering through to the used car market. This supply should help improve the affordability of used EVs
Phil Nunn, founder and director of Jumptech
The end of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme
As OZEV’s EVHS comes to an end on the 1st April 2022, homeowners will no longer be able to claim the £350 grant towards the installation of their home charger. This will drive innovative business models with more offers of monthly fees for installed chargers, finance packages as well as installs and chargers added to lease costs.
Installers are currently required to provide proof that they have notified the DNO of the install in order to qualify for the grant. With the grant ending, some are concerned that there could be an increasing number of installs that the DNO isn’t notified of, despite the regulations.
Impact of chip shortage
It seems as though the semiconductor supply chain will continue to fail to meet demand throughout 2022 impacting the delivery of vehicles and some EV charge points. Jato Dynamics reported that total car sales across 25 European markets was 18% lower than last year and 29% lower than November 2019. Many mainstream OEMs are already estimating Q4 earliest for delivery of new EVs and some large charge point manufacturers are unable to meet even a quarter of the demand. It’ll be interesting to see the effect of this pent up demand on EV sales in particular once supply eventually catches up with the demand.
Educate educate educate
With EVs now mainstream there’s an ongoing need to educate everyone from the drivers, car dealers, fleet managers, installers and hosts of charge points. With myths still being frequently shared around the true green credentials of EVs and the capacity of the National Grid to deliver the required energy, there’s an ever increasing need for a healthy discussion.
It’s a big adjustment for drivers. Not always being able to ‘fill up’ in 10 minutes, understanding what a kWh is, what is meant by Fast and Rapid, AC/DC and the effect the weather, speed and a bike rack has on range are all new and can be at best confusing and at worst anxiety provoking. It’s easy to forget how confusing this whole new world is and empathetic, thoughtful conversations from the pioneers and early adopters will help accelerate adoption and acceptance.
