Boris’ Green Ban: EV owner’s pockets 66% better off than petrol or diesel owners

The UK Government has brought forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans to 2030 – originally 2035.

At the beginning of the year, some called the plan unnecessary as it’s believed most people would want an EV by then anyways. However, bringing it forward 5 years has certainly raised some eyebrows as to whether it would be too soon.

But the data strongly suggests otherwise.

EV and PHEV sales both tripled in October of this year when compared to October last year. In fact, 1 in 7 cars sold is now an EV or a PHEV. That may seem small, but that’s on par with diesels.

The charging network has grown too – by around 18%. You can see that growth yourself, whether it’s at a service station off the M11 – or just a lamppost in your village which has been equipped with a charger.

Investment in the charging network

The charging network growth is mostly due to the significant investment that’s gone into it. Oil companies (I know, I know) have invested heavily in the EV charging infrastructure with multiple companies providing their own technology (BP has Polar, Shell has Recharge).

Home chargers are becoming more affordable too, especially from reliable brands such as ABB who are heavily involved in Formula-E.

The Government has pledged £1.2billion towards the EV charging infrastructure which will only help speed up this already fast-paced growth.

Are EVs better to run that petrol/diesel?

Yes, by far. They are cheaper to run and maintain by a longshot. Many publications have raised concerns about rising energy bills for households that have electric vehicles. Whilst obviously true, the reduction in spend on petrol/diesel is far greater than the increase in electricity spend. Just take a look at the graphic below to see a comparison of an electric Mini and a petrol Mini. You’ll see that the saving is far from “Mini”.

Is there enough supply?

Depending on who you ask, you may get conflicting answers. The national grid believes that if we all switch to EVs overnight, we’d only consume 10% of the nation’s capacity.

But the focus shouldn’t be looking at our capacity as a nation, it should be looking much more local.

If a hotel were to suddenly need to provide 15 EV chargers to cope with demand and not lose out on business to competitors that have chargers – is their building’s infrastructure built to cope with such a high consumption – especially if all 15 chargers were being used at once?

Before looking to install EV chargers, businesses should really look at reducing their energy usage elsewhere across the business. Whether that’s by switching to energy efficient LED lighting, or if you want to get really specific, using different cooking hoods in commercial kitchens (here’s looking at you hotels).

Here at SaveMoneyCutCarbon – we can’t wait to see more EVs on the road. But we do want to make sure that the switch is done efficiently and in a smart manner.