1 million EVs

[dan_b]

https://transportandenergy.com/2023/04/ ... ins-roads/

Apparently there are now 1 million EVs on the roads in the UK. Although not entirely clear if that's just pure BEVs or if it includes plug-in hybrids?
The fact about there now being a record 40million vehicles on the roads too though is quite something. As is the record low numbers of buses/coaches.

Crazy numbers.

[Mr Gus]

The usual (sadly) left to non understanding folk thrown a direction "put in print how many e.v's are on the u.k's roads" ..meaning a fug rather than fact.

Thus useless without context.

If you were to guess the ratio based on clear lists of units of each sold, where do you think we stand?

[Mart]

Hi Dan, I'm not 100% certain, but I understood we reached about 2/3rds of a million BEV's at the end of 2022, and over 1m including PHEV's.

So I suspect we are now at around 3/4m BEV's.

So by EV's I'd guess they are talking PEV's (plug-in electric vehicles). And the UK should reach 1m BEV's this year?

[Mr Gus]

How many of us (without meaning to demean phev owners) deem hybrids should not be counted due to farce such as the big ole toyota landcruiser ?PHEV type thing which is undoubtedly on the list in great numbers as is the slightly better utilised taxi phev toyota prius.

[Oliver90owner]

https://transportandenergy.com/2023/04/ ... ins-roads/

Apparently there are now 1 million EVs on the roads in the UK. Although not entirely clear if that's just pure BEVs or if it includes plug-in hybrids?
The fact about there now being a record 40million vehicles on the roads too though is quite something. As is the record low numbers of buses/coaches.

Crazy numbers.

Dan,

In that report, it would indicate anything with a plug was included, but not those ridiculous ‘non-plug in hybrids’.

Here is the pertinent sentence from the report: “ One in 32 cars driving in Britain now comes with a plug, amounting to 1,089,241 vehicles”

But journalism is not always up to standard in these reports….

[Mart]

How many of us (without meaning to demean phev owners) deem hybrids should not be counted due to farce such as the big ole toyota landcruiser ?PHEV type thing which is undoubtedly on the list in great numbers as is the slightly better utilised taxi phev toyota prius.

Hiya Gus. I have some thoughts on the issue (big surprise!) but it's an issue where it's incredibly easy to insult or demean very good people. So if I insult anyone, that's honestly not what I meant to do.

So, I think PHEV's were an excellent idea when they came out. I really wanted one of the early Toyota Prius PHEV's with about 12m of range. But we simply couldn't afford one at the time (10yrs ago?)

On here (and similar sites), I truly believe the members and readers will make excellent use of PHEV's, maximising the leccy component. I also suspect that PHEV buyers will have considered them v's a BEV but opted for the PHEV for good reasons, probably economic.

However, for many not understanding PHEV's properly, their low leccy range (oustside of China*), and the company cars bought 5yrs or so ago for tax purposes, won't be making much use of the leccy component. Also PHEV's may have a higher TCO (total cost of ownership) than an ICEV, with both higher than a BEV, certainly when similar vehicles are compared (not a petrol super mini to a Tesla model X).

Nowadays, I suspect PHEV's struggle to find an economic point in the market to sell. In the UK, and Europe as a whole, the PHEV sales are dropping, as BEV sales rise, (let's say roughly 10% falling towards 5%). Some countries had higher PHEV penetration, like France, but they are now falling, and Sweden was a real standout with very high PHEV sales, higher than BEV's, but the last year this has reversed. Chinese PHEV sales have started to fall, and the US PHEV market never really got going - perhaps it was at the stage to grow, but being a bit behind Europe/China, they got the lower priced BEV's just in time.

Back to your question - should PHEV's be counted? - Well, it's easy to dismiss them, but as I stressed, for those like minded folk on here, they will be making them work very well, and I'm sure the pleasant leccy only driving will be a confidence boost and 'gateway drug' towards BEV's, as and when the economics and selection of suitable BEV's improves (plus public rapid charging).

My philosophy is that whilst a BEV may be a better choice than a PHEV, a PHEV is still better than a HEV, which in turn beats a MHEV, which beats an ICEV**. So it all helps, and PHEV's will help to boost demand and support for all forms of charging infrastructure at properties, on roadsides, and at services/charging stations.


*Many, many, many of the Chinese PHEV's offer significant range with larger battery packs.

**And again, it's important not to criticise anyone who for whatever reason can't move up a level yet, so a well maintained older ICEV, or perhaps buying one secondhand, is still a positive step v's buying a new ICEV today - but of course edge case excemptions will apply.

[BEV - Battery Electric Vehicle
PHEV - Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle
HEV - Hybrid Electric vehicle
MHEV - mild HEV (tiny battery and a larger starter motor to aid in low speed start off where an ICEV is exceptionally inefficient)]

[Mr Gus]

Thats the thing, reasoning for purchases here, is likely much deeper, researched, ..angst ridden even, ..than elsewhere & "average consumers" ..& least likely of all a tax dodge.

Hybrids? personally hate em & have used the phrase "push-me-pull-you" for many years, only just got the chance to ride in a toyota hybrid taxi (the original) a wee while before lockdown, & had better insight to tech & purpose than sheer hatred for non BEV without reasoning.

However, I feel as per my opener previously that the titled bev category of the title has been lumped in with "everything else" & is lazy journalism that would do better to reveal the split numbers for context & accuracy, but then the potency of their piece would have lost its *sparkle* weighed down in "boring" numbers

It is important to differentiate in order to see "climb progress" ..because with it we will also see who continues to buy heavily marketed primetime tv (toyota) tech compared to maybe assessing the 100% bev alternatives.

I'm pretty sure too many of us parked & charged next door to a tax dodging big 4x4 toyota & got miffed for a varietyy of reasons, so hearing hybrid sales are on the downturn is something the op journalist could & should have utilised.

Looks like a very ineresting story in the making (for a quality journalistic piece) on toyota's gamble down the line,will it be another "IBM / Olivetti" 400 page saga type tome? clock is still ticking, but the losses must be like the ground sony lost on the "new" tv market back in the day. (last to commit to flat screen lcd etc)

[Mart]

Hiya Gus, you may find the monthly sales reports on the Cleantechnica site useful. Here's the most recent:

Tesla Model Y Wins UK Bestseller Spot In March, Record BEV Volumes

They produce a chart showing the split of vehicles, and you'll see that PHEV's made up about 50% of PEV's going back, but the sales of PHEV's stalled at around 7%, whilst those of BEV's have grown. The last year has started to show a decline in actual PHEV sales.

HEV's and MHEV's are growing, but I suspect that's down to EU emissions legislation and CO2 fleet targets.

[The lumpiness of the BEV sales, reflects the Tesla sales surge in the last month of each quarter. But you can see a reasonably 'straight' trend line.]

[Mr Gus]

Thanks mart, the march 2020 peak is verytelling, would like to have seen modelling of advancement for a "no covid" scenario, that'd be an interesting breakout most likely.

[nowty]

SWMBO BMW i3 with its 647cc range extender is classed as a hybrid, its used an average of about 1 gallon of petrol a year and that works out at about 1% of mileage. You don't need an oversized battery as you don't get any range anxiety even when almost empty. Its only got a 9 litre tank but you can keep filling it up if you are stuck.