ELECTRIC car sales have almost doubled in Scotland in the past 12 months but experts say more needs to be done to encourage greater numbers of drivers to make the switch from fossil fuels.
Scotland lags behind some other parts of the UK for electric vehicle (EV) purchases, with the north-west of England recording a 214 per cent rise, trippling sales in 2020.
EV sales in Scotland rose by 97 per cent in the same period, which was significantly ahead of Wales (72 per cent) and London (69 per cent).
Drivers in Scotland are among the most determined to make the change to EVs. John Wilmot, chief executive of LeaseLoco, which gathered the data from the DVLA, said: “With the sale of new diesel and petrol cars banned from 2030, the next two to three years will be critical in ensuring that the switch to greener motoring stays on track.
“These DVLA figures show a huge disparity between regions where consumers are showing commitment to early switching to electric vehicles and regions where electric car switching needs a jump start.
“Demand is definitely there in Scotland, even though 2020 was a very unusual year for car sales, and Scottish drivers show that even areas that are less built-up can still offer EV drivers plenty of scope to use these cars.”
However, Wilmot also sounded a note of caution: “EV registrations still make up a very small percentage of the total number of new car sales.
"While they are cheap to run and most owners are keen to drive less polluting cars, too many people who rely on their vehicles for work and leisure are holding off making the switch while there are question marks around the charging infrastructure and the initial cost of an electric vehicle.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are working with partners to decrease the costs of moving to an EV, increasing convenience with more charging facilities and changing the culture of driving so that EVs are preferred to petrol and diesel vehicles.
“Scotland has one of the most comprehensive charging networks in Europe and the average distance between charge points in Scotland is half the average across Britain.”
While Scotland may not have the largest increase in EV sales across the UK in 2020, it is well ahead of most of the world.
Marine Gorner, energy and transport analyst for the International Energy Agency, said: “Global electric car sales were down by 15 per cent in 2020 but European EV sales were up 55 per cent.
“Any country exceeding that number is doing very well. We see this in places where there is a real enthusiasm for EVs, helped by government support schemes, improving infrastructure, and the continued decline in their cost.”
Business consultancy PwC believes that EV sales are booming regardless of any help from government. Its report on the EV market in 2020 said: “EVs are establishing themselves independently of government subsidies.
“Taking a longer perspective, we cannot fail to observe an accelerating trend in EV sales which confirms that market developments are vindicating the predictions of a major change in the auto industry.”
John Wilmot believes governments still need to seize the opportunity. He said: “Governments need to take advantage of the growing popularity of zero emissions motoring but the worry is that without more focus, investment and education, demand will not translate into sales and momentum will be lost.”
