https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48865702
The above BBC link tells us that new car sales are down in June. The fact that car sales are down for a fourth consecutive month is bad enough. But add in that alternatively fuelled cars, ie hybrids and plug-in hybrids, are also down in the month of June is really a kick in the teeth as the UK tries its best to become a zero-emission environment.
Amongst other things, Government subsidies are often mentioned as being vital for the full adoption of EVs in any country and I do believe that this is true – to a certain extent. One needs to look no further than Norway with its incredibly generous subsidies (no road tax, free parking, use of bus lanes and the big one… no sales tax!) as an example of a Government that has successfully “pushed” EVs onto the public – half of all vehicles sold in 2018 were either fully electric or a hybrid.
And yet I can’t help but think it’s a little rich of car manufacturers to be relying on these subsidies to make their products more financially viable for the masses. Perhaps there are other examples in the past where Government assistance/subsidies paved the way for total acceptance of a new idea, be it technological or otherwise, but I can’t think of one. Please let me know in the comments below if you can! To throw more petrol on this fire, I fear that the Government subsidies will come in the form of cutbacks in other areas. Please, please, PLEASE don’t prove to me that cutbacks to the NHS (for example) have been made to subsidise the adoption of EVs for everyone. That just doesn’t feel right…
Lastly, why should we follow the lead of the Government on this to begin with? We were duped into believing diesel was the answer for a clean environment and look how that’s turned out. The complete lack of charging infrastructure development from the Government is mind-boggling. Their £400m EV Charging Infrastructure Fund, outsourced to a private-equity firm no less, is so completely inadequate that it approaches futility.
What is the answer, I hear you ask? There isn’t one. Not yet anyways. But don’t despair – Elon Musk will have us travelling in his space rockets soon enough…
