If current trends in UK car sales continue, electric vehicle (EV) sales could overtake gasoline and diesel by this time next year, according to a study by the Mercury Car Center.
Traditionally for the UK, as well as for many countries in the world, September is one of the most important sales months for the automotive industry. However, according to SMMT, this most recent September saw 16.6% fewer vehicles registered than the 10-year average for the month. Diesel vehicle sales fell 38.4% and gasoline sales fell 20.9%.
However, sales of electric vehicles and hybrids told a different story: they grew by 139%.
Source: Mercury Car Center
According to the Mercury Car Center, if sales of gasoline-powered vehicles continue to fall at the same rate as this year, gasoline and diesel vehicles could disappear from the market in just four years.
In addition to this conclusion, the data also showed that battery-only electric vehicles were the most popular electric vehicles sold in 2020. Their sales grew 184%, while sales of hybrid-electric vehicles grew by only 55%. Tesla has become one of the brightest spots in electric vehicle sales, and the top-selling car in the country on several occasions.
Based on this data, the trend suggests sales of electric vehicles could grow much faster than expected.
Source: Mercury Car Center
Neil Hutchinson, chairman of Mercury Cars, said: "The shift to electric cars is a significant part of reducing the country’s carbon emissions so data from this year shows a promising trend."
On November 18, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out his ten-point green industrial revolution plan to create 250,000 jobs, and ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles from 2030. This was part of a broader package of green initiatives, which calls to advance these changes five years earlier than originally planned. This policy will further push consumers to buy electric vehicles, and Tesla is primed to be a major benefactor.
© 2020, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.
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About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
