New UK car registrations dropped by 22% in August, while demand for the latest battery electric (BEV), hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles surged up 32.2%, 45.7% and 72.1% respectively, says the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

In fact, demand for PHEVs has outpaced BEVs in five of the last six months since changes to the Plug-in Car Grant, affecting BEVs, were introduced back in March. There are now some 130 plug-in models on the market, with the range ever-increasing.

In all, 68,033 units were registered in what is traditionally one of the quietest months of the year for new car registrations ahead of the important plate change in September.

The monthly performance was the weakest since August 2013, and down 7.6% against the average recorded over the last decade, due in part to constrained supply as the global shortage of semiconductors, an issue born of the pandemic, continues to undermine production volumes.

Private activity held up better, registrations dropping 15.2% to 33,771 units, meaning that just shy of half (49.6%) of all sales in August were driven by private consumers.

The ‘mini’ bodystyle of car was the only car type to see growth, up 30.7%, showing that those still unsure about making the switch to an EV, or EV variant, are looking to downsize, to more economical vehicles.

So far this year, UK new car registrations remain up 20.3%, to 1,101,302 registrations, an increase of 185,687 units with BEVs and PHEVs at 8.4% and 6.6% market share respectively.

However, this performance is measured against the Covid-hit 2020 market, when showrooms were closed for much of the year. Total registrations in 2021 are 25.3% below the 10 year average for the period January to August, illustrating the ongoing and wide-ranging impact of the pandemic on automotive retail.

Mike Hawes, SMMT’s chief executive, said: “While August is normally one of the quietest months for UK new car registrations these figures are still disappointing, albeit not wholly surprising. The global shortage of semiconductors has affected UK, and indeed global, car production volumes so new car registrations will inevitably be undermined. Government can help by continuing the supportive Covid measures in place currently, especially the furlough scheme which has proven invaluable to so many businesses

“As we enter the important September plate-change month with an ever-increasing range of electrified models and attractive deals, buyers in the market for the new 71 plate can be reassured manufacturers are doing all they can to ensure prompt deliveries.”

Alex Buttle, director of used car marketplace motorway.co.uk, said: “New electric car registrations are once again a bright spot, with BEV and PHEV sales up 32% and 72% respectively in August compared to 2020 figures. But ongoing production issues continue to blight new car sales, stifling supply and stretching delivery times.

“With every manufacturer facing different difficulties, these are complex issues that aren’t going to be fixed overnight. The ongoing microchip shortage is unlikely to be resolved until well into 2022. Even then, normal production levels are unlikely to resume at the press of a button.

“In the meantime, many buyers who would typically buy new are being driven away by long wait times, and are pointing their wallets instead towards the second-hand car market, where they can buy nearly-new online and secure a vehicle for collection or delivery the same day.”

He added: “The used car market is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the frustration buyers are feeling at having to wait months, or even up to a year in some cases, to take delivery of their new car.

“As a result of this shift in buyer sentiment, demand for used cars is at an all-time high, pushing prices up significantly across the spectrum of makes, models and price brackets.”

So, it seems for now that with clean air zones, cheaper running costs, and environmental considerations an ongoing reason for many buyers to upgrade their car, the used car market is enabling buyers, who may not be ready to switch to electric, to switch out of higher polluting cars that would otherwise remain on UK roads.

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As the country is now on track to ban new petrol and diesel cars, motorists, car manufacturers, and the transport industry are racing to be ahead of the game. However, it’s not just vehicles themselves that will be changing.

Some of the major changes will occur in metropolitan areas such as London and Manchester, with the introduction of clean air zones. The look of the streets will begin to change as increasing numbers of on-street chargers and EV (electric vehicle) charging stations are introduced in order to keep up with demand.

Here we’ll take a look at some of the biggest changes that are already underway.

What’s happening in London?

To help improve air quality, an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) now operates in London, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except Christmas Day. Now imposed within the same area of central London as the Congestion Charge, most vehicles, including cars and vans, need to meet the ULEZ emissions standards or their drivers must pay a daily charge to drive within the zone. The zone is due to be expanded this year up to the North and South Circular routes in October 2021.

In a recent survey of Londoners by an insurance broker, Bikesure, it shows that 72% of drivers are considering changing their vehicle as the 2021 ULEZ expansion looms, with 20% switching to an EV or low-emission cars.

Although 84% of people will continue to ride or drive in the ULEZ following its expansion, 18.6% are set to choose two wheels over four, while 20% will switch to an EV (electric vehicle) or low-emission car.

Accessible for all?

‘Range anxiety’ and access to charging points are oft-touted as barriers to EV adoption, but projects, such as one being undertaken in the Borough of Lambeth, aim to demonstrate how affordable and accessible public EV charging infrastructure can be deployed to tackle EV inequality and drive greater EV adoption amongst those communities traditionally under-represented in the EV transition.

With EV ownership skyrocketing – UK registrations are up 117% in 2021 compared to last year – those living in urban centres, high-rise flats and council estates are significantly less likely to have access to a private driveway, making it difficult to install home charging solutions.

As a result, households which have access to a driveway make up 80% of EV owners, with the remaining 20% owned by those in houses or flats with no access to off-street parking.

The project in Lambeth includes 22 on-street EV chargers across 11 council estates in the borough to provide easy access to public charging, even for those without off-street parking. It forms part of the council’s wider strategy to work with multiple charge point operators to install more than 200 charge points by 2022, with the aim of ensuring every household with no access to off-street parking is within a five-minute walk of their nearest charge point.

What’s happening in Manchester?

Meanwhile in Manchester, a £120m Financial Support Scheme has begun as part of the work underway to get ready for the Greater Manchester-wide CAZ (Clean Air Zone), launching on 30 May 2022, with the first Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras now installed, and a Financial Support Scheme due to launch in November.

All 10 Greater Manchester local authorities have approved the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan, which includes a government-directed ‘Category C’ charging CAZ.

Greater Manchester’s £120m government funding will help local businesses, people and organisations to upgrade to cleaner vehicles, so they can travel in a GM-wide CAZ without incurring a daily charge.

The CAZ is a key component of Greater Manchester’s green revolution, helping to tackle the problem of air pollution, which contributes towards at least 1,200 deaths per year in the city-region.

New developments

Manchester will soon be home to the very first electric vehicle only forecourt and valeting centre dedicated solely to ultra-rapid chargers in the north-west of England. This is part of the owner’s, Motor Fuel Group’s, next stage of dual-fuel strategy to serve electric vehicle customers as part of its drive to become a major charge point operator in the UK.

Not only is this MFG’s first EV-only charging hub, but this is Greater Manchester’s first dedicated ultra-rapid charging forecourt, catering to all manufacturers of electric vehicles – helping to support mayor Andy Burnham’s plans of doubling the size of the region’s EV charging network as set out in his inaugural Green Summit in March this year.

The site will have eight dedicated ultra-rapid 150kW EV charging bays which can give 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes of charging.

What’s happening in Oxford?

For those making the switch, or intending to make the switch to low emission vehicles, cities such as Oxford are also leading the way with the introduction of large-scale EV charging hubs. Oxford will soon be hosting Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle charging hub, and work to install a high-powered underground cable that will deliver electricity to the UK’s largest public charging hub at Oxford’s Redbridge Park & Ride has already begun. This EV charging hub will help to decarbonise transport across Oxford.

Oxford City Council, Pivot Power, Fastned (a European electric vehicle EV fast-charging company), Tesla Superchargers and Wenea (one of the largest EV charging services providers in Europe) have teamed up to deliver the hub 100% renewable energy to EV drivers day and night.

The hub, initially featuring 38 fast and ultra-rapid chargers in a single site, is the most powerful in Europe – with up to 10MW of power on-site – and will scale up to help meet the need for EV charging in the area for the next 30 years.

It is the first of up to 40 similar sites planned across the UK to help deliver the charging infrastructure needed for the estimated 36 million EVs by 2040.

It’s this kind of development and forward planning, that will hopefully keep apace with the country’s transport decarbonisation plans.

As Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, recently said: “As we begin the road to recovery from Covid-19 and rebuild our economy and infrastructure I am clear we can’t just go back to how we were before.

“We have the opportunity to create a more prosperous, stronger and greener country and transport will be at the heart of that.”

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As more and more people switch to travelling, and especially commuting, under their own (powered) steam, the demand for e-bikes is predicted to continue, as increasing numbers of us switch to electrified personal transport and realise its benefits.

At their core, e-bikes are a regular push bike that feature a battery-powered electric motor to provide drive to the wheels. They can either operate via ‘pedal assist’– where the motor activates when the pedals are in motion – or by simply adding power when required via the controls, and driving it a bit like a moped. They can be charged by simply plugging into a wall socket or they can partially charge via the dynamo action of the pedalling (often known as a ‘recovery function’).

Although e-bikes are derided by some serious cyclists as ‘cheating’, the fact that one can let the machine take the strain when needed makes travel by bike even more accessible to a wider section of the population – and especially those who may find their own fitness a barrier.

A recent survey of 2,000 people in the UK by bike specialists, Tredz (tredz.co.uk), reported that as of 2021 one in 20 people in the UK own an e-bikes and nearly 40% of people in the UK say that they would cycle more if they had an e-bike.

The survey went on to further state that almost four in every 10 people in the UK (38.88%) would cycle more if they had an electric bike, with 35 to 44-year-olds being the largest age group saying they’d cycle significantly more if they had an e-bike.

In Europe, by 2030, it is projected that there will be around 15 million e-bikes sales per year.

The impact of the pandemic lockdown on our exercise and habits cannot be underestimated, with sales of sporting equipment and health and fitness equipment skyrocketing.

So why e-bikes in particular?

Transport for London’s Cycling Action Plan recently reported that 20% of London residents choose not to cycle to get about as they feel they are either not fit enough or simply too old, two factors which would both lend themselves to the specific benefits of an e-bike.

In addition to this, 28% of e-bike buyers bought their e-bike as a substitute for a car and journeys on e-bike were around 21% faster than a traditional bicycle. Halfords has also reported that it sells 65% of its e-bikes to those aged 55 and over, highlighting the fact that old age is one of the primary reasons why people consider riding an e-bike.

Other major reasons for riding e-bikes include replacing a car, riding up hills, saving energy, improving health and fitness, and spending more time out and about with friends and family.

So what are the benefits?

E-bikes can propel a rider at greater speed and with less effort than a regular bike. On most, pedalling action is still required, but the excessive strain is taken away by the motor. This allows the rider to still get a workout, but with an added effort-boost when needed to make difficult sections of the ride easier.

In terms of drawbacks over a regular bike, e-bikes are much heavier due to the battery and extra components, so extra planning is required for long journeys so you can keep them charged up; pedalling a flat e-bike home may be quite an arduous process!

E-bikes can also be prohibitively expensive for some, most are around three figures but increasingly cheaper options are available as the cost of the technology comes down.

So, its clear to see why e-bikes are seeing a massive uplift in popularity at the moment. With climate change in the zeitgeist and the government’s ban on petrol and diesel vehicles looming (and the subsequent promotion of electric vehicles in general), many towns and cities are wanting to create safer cleaner environments – such as London’s ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone), and are installing more bike lanes and safety measures for cyclists.

Maybe it’s time to get on your e-bike?

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