Over the past year, there have been several extra initiatives designed to inspire people to make the switch from petrol and diesel powered cars to more environmentally friendly and cheaper to run EVs, which has provided benefits not only for car dealers but also for electricians installing charging infrastructure.
One of the biggest of these is the Electric Car Grant, which provides tiered discounts for electric cars producing zero carbon emissions, costing under £37,000 and that are manufactured according to sustainable low-carbon manufacturing principles.
Several major carmakers, including Stellantis (Peugeot, Renault, Citroen and many others), have lowered the prices of some of their electric cars to fit the cost constraints of the grant, as have Nissan, which allows them to provide an additional discount to new EV drivers.
The big question for electricians is whether this will lead to more charging stations and thus more work for trained professionals, but to answer this, the bigger question is whether it will work at all.
Here are some of the points both for and against the new initiative.
For: More Affordable Cars Will Increase Adoption
The conventional wisdom when it comes to EVs is that they are cheaper to run but more expensive to buy than petrol or diesel cars.
Much of this will depend on electrical tariffs, access to charging stations and subscriptions to low-cost rates at public EV stations, but for most drivers, the running costs are low enough that the only major financial barrier to adoption is the cost of the car itself.
More cars on the road will naturally mean that there is a greater need for fast charging stations, and trained installers will be able to install them in the home or as part of a growing number of solar-powered charging parks popping up across the UK.
Against: The Range And Discounts Are Currently Limited
At present, only three companies have cars that are eligible for the lower discount rate; these are Nissan, Stellantis (Peugeot, Renault, Citroen and Vauxhall) and Volkswagen (through the Volkswagen marque and Cupra, a division of SEAT).
None of the cars on the UK market is eligible for the higher discount rate of £3,750, something that Auto Express claims could be due to where and how batteries are manufactured, but there has been some criticism that the criteria required to access the discounts is unhelpfully vague.
The £37,000 maximum price has also limited the number of cars currently eligible. However, due to a clause in the regulations that states that only one model has to cost under that threshold, there are some cars with a basic entry-level model that meets the requirements but has an expansive range that also qualifies for the discount by extension.
For: Other EVs Are Getting Cheaper Too
A rising tide lifts all boats, goes the saying commonly credited to former US President John F. Kennedy, and whilst not many cars currently qualify for the scheme, many manufacturers have applied for the scheme or incorporated their own scheme even in cases where their car is unlikely to qualify.
Others are providing extra incentives in lieu of a discount if they are uncertain about their eligibility status.
Against: Many Practical EVs Are Still Too Expensive
EVs are getting cheaper, but that comes at a much greater cost when it comes to practicality than an equivalent hybrid or conventional diesel model, with reasonable ranges still requiring an investment of around £20,000.
This is partly due to just how young the used car market for EVs is, and there is a chance that this will improve as more people buy EVs, but it is an issue that customers will consider which could stop them from buying an EV and charging station installation at the same time.