EV sales hit the breaks

We take a look at how the coronavirus is affecting the Electric Vehicle (EV) market

Until the coronavirus took hold, 2020 was shaping up to be a big year for sales of EVs and the development of EV charging infrastructure in the UK. But like a lot of best-laid plans, this is no longer the case and the number of charge points available to drivers of EVs remains at 340. These can be located via the website, Zap-Map.

In the 12 months prior to the pandemic, EV sales had jumped by 144% but they are now set to take a nosedive. Rather than move into the fast lane of the car world, sales of EVs are forecast to plummet by as much as 43% in 2020.

Nissan has taken the decision to halt production of EVs, aware that there won’t be the demand for them given the restrictions on travel and the insecure financial position many people find themselves in.

Tesla, the world’s highest-profile EV manufacturer, had targeted production of half-a-million EVs this year but due to the manufacturing slowdown and economic concerns, that looks highly ambitious.

However, there are still some EV schemes going ahead amidst the crisis, with Siemens announcing at the end of March that they had just completed the UK’s first whole street of lamp post to EV charge point conversions.

The first EV-only motorway service station is also set to be unveiled in Braintree, Essex this summer. When fully operational, the site will have 24 rapid chargers, a supermarket, and an EV education centre.

While the number of car journeys has dramatically reduced since the lockdown period was enforced, key workers still need to get to and from their place of employment and, as a result, Pod Point is reportedly continuing with home charger installations for people operating in the frontline of this crisis who rely on EVs as their mode of transport.

For more information  on how Energy Management can assist with EV infrastructure please contact one of the team on: 01225 867722 / sales@energymanagementltd.com