Electric cars expected to outsell diesel ones in the UK next year
More electric cars are expected to be sold in the UK than diesel models next year, in what experts say will be a “watershed moment”.
Fully electric battery cars have already outsold diesel cars for several months this year, but 2022 is now projected to be the first time it happens across a year.
A total of 260,000 electric cars are expected to be sold in 2022 versus 221,000 diesel models, according to figures published yesterday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK automotive trade body. The figures do not include hybrid models.
“It's brilliant. I think it is a watershed moment in terms of EVs [electric vehicles] finally coming in from the cold and being a mainstream solution for people,” says David Bailey at the University of Birmingham, UK.
He says the surge is being driven by a “massive” new range of vehicles, a fall in up-front prices and improvements in both battery range and public charging infrastructure.
Electric vehicles are seen as critical for meeting air pollution and climate change goals, such as those being discussed at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, UK, this week.
The SMMT figures also show that nearly 10 per cent of new car sales so far this year are for electric models, up from 5.5 per cent last year. “We are seeing rapid uptake. It wasn't long ago we saw 2 per cent. We are going to see a tipping point around the middle of this decade where EVs outcompete the internal combustion engine: it will be cheaper, full stop,” says Bailey.
While electric car sales are anticipated to overtake diesels next year, Bailey says he expects they won't accelerate past petrol cars until around 2024. Beyond 2025, he says: “I can't really see any good reason to buy a petrol car.” The UK government plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
电动汽车明年在英国的销量有望超过柴油车
预计明年在英国销售的电动汽车将超过柴油车型，专家称这将是一个“分水岭时刻”。
今年，纯电动汽车的销量已经超过柴油汽车几个月，但现在预计 2022 年将是一年中的第一次。
根据英国汽车贸易机构汽车制造商和贸易商协会 (SMMT) 昨天公布的数据，预计 2022 年电动汽车的总销量为 221,000 辆，而柴油车的销量为 221,000 辆。这些数字不包括混合模型。
“这个棒极了。我认为，就 EV [电动汽车] 最终摆脱寒冷并成为人们的主流解决方案而言，这是一个分水岭，”英国伯明翰大学的大卫贝利说。
他说，这一激增是由“大量”新车型、前期价格下降以及电池续航里程和公共充电基础设施的改善推动的。
电动汽车被视为实现空气污染和气候变化目标的关键，例如本周在英国格拉斯哥举行的 COP26 气候峰会上讨论的目标。
SMMT 的数据还显示，今年迄今为止，近 10% 的新车销量是电动车型，高于去年的 5.5%。 “我们看到了快速的普及。不久前，我们看到了 2%。我们将在本世纪中期看到一个转折点，电动汽车在竞争中胜过内燃机：它将更便宜，完全停止，”贝利说。
虽然预计明年电动汽车的销量将超过柴油车，但贝利表示，他预计在 2024 年左右之前它们不会超过汽油车。2025 年之后，他说：“我真的看不出有什么好的理由购买汽油车。 ”英国政府计划到 2030 年禁止销售新的汽油和柴油汽车。
