By Paul Homewood
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/car-registrations/
On the face of it, EV sales have had a good month in September, with a rise in share to 20.5%. YTD sales nevertheless remain well below expectations at 17.8%, and it is now obvious that they will not hit their mandated target for the year of 22%, unless manufacturers withdraw petrol and diesel cars from the market entirely.
But the September figures are not all that they seem. The rise in share for EVs is partly due to a drop in sales of petrol vehicles. Up to July, petrol sales were 1.5% up year on year. In the last two months, sales have fallen, with last month 9.3% down on September 2023.
The conclusion is clear – manufacturers are now cutting back on petrol cars put out on to the market, in order to get closer to their ZEV target.
The situation is actually worse for EVs than it appears. The Telegraph reports that EV sales to private buyers is stagnating, while buyers are turning back to diesel. This despite carmakers throwing billions at discounts for EVs, something which is not sustainable in the long run:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
There is simply no way that EVs will even reach a share of 22%, never mind the target of 28% set for next year, on fleet sales alone.
The news comes as ten top carmakers have written to Rachel Reeves demanding a row back on “flawed” sales targets:
