Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) rose in July, with one battery EV registered every 60 seconds, recording an 87.9% increase.
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found the new car market grew 28.3% in July with 143,921 new vehicles registered. Out of these, EVs accounted for more than a third (35.4% of the market).
The biggest increase was for battery EVs, which recorded an 87.9% increase to account for 16.0% of all new registrations for the month, a market share broadly consistent with that seen so far this year.
Hybrid volumes grew, although their overall market share fell to 11.3%. Plug-in hybrid registrations saw a significant uplift for the second month in a row as uptake rose 79.1% to account for 8.1% of the market.
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There is an increase in demand for battery electric cars, with a new one was registered every 60 seconds in the month. According to SMMT, this will accelerate to one every 50 seconds by the end of the year, and up to one every 40 seconds by the end of 2024.
The SMMT warns that as sales increase, the government needs to ready EV charging infrastructure. To reach the government’s minimum target of 300,000 changepoints by 2030, it states the installation rate must treble to almost 10,000 chargers per quarter, every quarter.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said consumers must be given “every possible incentive to buy.”
“Government must pull every lever, therefore, to make buying, running and, especially, charging an EV affordable and practical for every driver in every part of the country,” he added.
