Considering the increased awareness in terms of the current state of the environment, more countries around the globe have started to value eco-friendly actions ore. The UK is a powerful example of EU country that continues to boost its involvement in green practices. Various areas are targeted here, and a hot topic of discussing at the moment is the electric car revolution presumed to occur in the near future. The global shift to electric vehicles has caught the UK rather unprepared, the country falling behind in this department, but new governmental policies are said to expand the local EV stock. The UK is known for having the largest EV battery manufacturing plant in Europe, so the electric car revolution that is laying ahead is long expected. According to specialists, the country wants to position itself as a world leader in the EV industry, and the efforts made have come as a follow-up to numerous other green initiatives observed nationally.
The UK’s position on eco-friendly practices
The automotive industry isn’t the first domain targeted by eco-friendly activists. Green regulations have been made in various other sectors, which have supported the unified approach towards environmental conservation. Sustainability in the country has become a common topic of interest for the government and for industries and businesses functioning in different fields. Regulatory compliance rules have increased in number on a national level, and it seems like things are only going in a positive direction – efforts are being made regularly and people are encouraged to partake in the nationwide fight against pollution. Ecologically sound decisions are made not only by businesses but by regular individuals as well – sustainable principles continue to be advertised by a multitude of organisations. Companies that focus on Inert soils for beneficial reuse, recycling firms, green building enterprises, researchers of projects on sustainable energy, international education programs with a main focus on the environment – there is a wide variety of initiatives currently developing in the UK. London is on course to becoming one of the greenest and most sustainable cities on earth, and the entire UK is following its example.
Industry players are analysing the current position of EVs
Industry players are trying to get to the root of the problem, as to why the UK has fallen behind in the department of EV ownership. The country benefits from a number of over 155,000 electric vehicles that are on the roads at the moment, but considering the fact that a revolution is wanted here, efforts are being put into boosting those numbers in the years to come through different type of projects. The world’s largest trial of electric vehicles is set to occur this year in the country, and the goal of specialists is to come up with all the factors that might be currently stopping citizens from switching to a traditionally fuelled vehicle to an EV. Optimise Prime is the name of the project, supported by Ofgem, an energy regulator. Although the intentions of increasing the number of EVs in the UK is in fact related to environmental conservation, the project itself primarily targets the infrastructure that makes electric vehicles viable. It has been suggested that somewhere around 3,000 electric cars will be added to the numbers by the end of 2019.
Are electric cars cheaper to own?
When the topic of electric cars comes into discussion, what most people focus on is the initial investment required by the purchase of an EVs. Money wise, however, it has been pointed out that owning and running an electric car is actually more affordable in the long-run, which means investing in one will pay off long-term. In the UK and in 4 other European countries, owning a diesel vehicles costs more according to researches that have been made on the matter. Fuel, tax costs and the purchase itself have been analysed in the study, and the results clearly illustrate the difference in costs. Tackling climate change and pollution concerns can become easier in the country through tax breaks. When the government supports drivers who purchase EVs instead of petrol and diesel versions in the tax department, it’s normal for a positive change to be noticed in the purchase behaviour of car buyers. Drivers could be saving up to 5 percent over a period of 4 years if they choose an EV.
Local charging systems
A primary concern at the moment isn’t the lack of interest towards electric vehicles in the country, but the infrastructure problems that exist. If a boost in EV sales would occur, drivers could face an issue, being unable to find a sufficient number of chagrining points. Charging ports aren’t easily accessible throughout the entire country, and some of them have also been reported to not work. While for commercial vehicles this isn’t exactly a problem, considering their usage is predicted and controlled, when it comes to private cars, changes are certainly demanded. A mass market success would certainly cause inconveniences, and this is probably why the project above mentioned focuses on infrastructure details first of all.
Data availability
The same project focuses on making data available, which will allow organisations and policy makers to obtain a better understanding on the issues currently revolving around the subject of electric vehicles. By knowing where the biggest gaps are, getting ahead of the issues will become a more probably possibility. Specialists are working towards the world’s largest electric vehicle dataset, which will be made open-source, so anyone can access the required insights and information. Service providers will also be able to anticipate any concerns before an issue actually occurs if they have access to accurate data.
The UK is embracing green initiatives in various ways, and electric cars are trending at the moment. Although the country hasn’t exactly reached the highest rates of electric car usage, it seems like positive changes are being made at a fast pace in this department.
