Drivers have slammed the drive towards electric vehicles, arguing that while the intention may be good, it’s hard-working people who foot the cost of subsidies.
The Alliance of British Drivers (ABD) explained that as the EV market slows down, the public should still have the choice between petrol, diesel and electric.
The plea follows reports which found that while battery electric vehicle registration volumes were at high levels, market share fell by one percentage point from the same month last year, down to 15.2 per cent.
The lack of market share reflects the hesitance from UK drivers to make the switch, ABD said.
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Government needs 20 per cent new cars to be electric to stick to goals
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Bob Bull, chairman of the ABD, said: “The public must not have their right to choose removed and public money must no longer be thrown at subsidising new EV sales and usage.
“The tax system has for years given huge advantages to persuade fleets and business users to adopt EVs.
“This is not ‘free money’, it is paid for by the hard-working and struggling people of this country. Enough is enough.”
The ABD has called for the ban on petrol and diesel to be properly and permanently scrapped as well as demanding an end to throwing public money at subsidies for EV purchases and use.
In order for the UK to meet the Government’s ambitious plans to be net zero by 2035, at least 20 per cent of all new car sales will have to be zero emitting this year.
But experts and car manufacturers have warned that without proper incentives in place, not only will the UK fall behind on its goals, but the car industry will suffer as a result.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “A sluggish private market and shrinking EV market share, however, show the challenge ahead.
“Manufacturers are providing compelling offers, but they can’t single-handedly fund the transition indefinitely. Government support for private consumers – not just business and fleets – would send a positive message and deliver a faster, fairer transition on time and on target.”
Most recently, popular car brand Volkswagen Group saw sales
for its electric vehicles plummet by nearly a third as it failed to attract
enough customers to make the switch.
In the US, sales for EVs were 16 per cent lower than this
time last year, while in Europe, sales fell by 23 per cent across the quarter.
Hildegard Wortmann, member of the group’s extended executive
committee for sales, said: “In a market environment that remains
challenging, the Volkswagen Group achieved a solid delivery performance in the
first quarter.
“The higher order intake for our all-electric models in
Europe makes us confident that we will grow in this segment both in our home
region and worldwide over the year as a whole.”
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Alliance of British Drivers pleas ‘enough is enough’
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Elsewhere, luxury carmaker Aston Martin rebuffed the electric vehicle “hype” after lapsing profits indicated a lack of appetite for the cleaner vehicles.
The boss of the British car brand, Lawrence Stroll warned that politics can’t drive consumer demand for EVs.
