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Gloucestershire drivers are leaders in the electric car uptake

Gloucestershire drivers are leaders in the electric car uptake

In the last 4 years there has been a surge in electric vehicles and hybrid car purchases and it seems Gloucester and the Cotswolds are one of the leading areas contributing their rise. 

Sales of diesel cars are reportedly at an all-time low. With the public more aware of the dangerous emissions emitted by diesel cars and cities banning them from being driven into their centres within a few years, its no wonder why we are seeing the decline. With petrol prices increasing year on year it is obvious why people are opting for the emissions free electric car. December 2017 figures show there were 132,000 electric and hybrid cars on UK roads with 2017 seeing the largest increase in new purchases of electric vehicles at 47,000 for the year. 

But is the county prepared for the uptake in plug-in vehicles? It would appear not…

Gloucester and the Cotswolds are in the UK’s top 10 areas for the highest percentage of electric vehicles, ranking 4th and 10th respectively. However, according to Esri UK, Gloucester has just 2 working public charge points in the city. With 1,250 electric vehicles in Gloucester this equates to <0.001 public charging points per electric vehicle.  This is surprising when Gloucester drivers are making the effort to become some of the greenest in the country. 

Ben Harrison, Mypower’s Managing Director, said that’s these figures don’t take into account businesses who provide charging points for their staff and other public facing commercial enterprises such as car dealerships and hotels. The numbers also don’t count for personal charging points at home. 

“It’s great our county’s drivers are leading the rest of the UK in the uptake of plug-in cars. We’ve seen enquires for charging points at homes and commercial properties increase significantly in the last 6 months. Those really savvy home and businesses owners are also installing solar panels on their roofs to generate their own electricity which means they charge their cars for free.”

In the Autumn budget last November, Phillip Hammond announced a £400 million UK wide investment in the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles which will surely help improve our county’s public charging network. Hammond also said that charging an electric car at work will not be subject to a benefit in kind tax. 

Furthermore, the government last month announced a new bill that could mean petrol and service stations have to by law install charging points for electric and hybrid vehicles.

If you are thinking of buying an electric car then all this investment is great news. For more information on Mypower's EV charging units and driving on solar fuel, click here or contact us.

Solar panel company Mypower is the Gloucestershire’s leading installer of Commercial Solar PV and Electric Vehicle charge points.  Their Solar Panel installation at Gloucester Cathedral has gone on to win them many awards in 2017 and recognition worldwide for such a unique project in a world first. Since then Mypower has helped many businesses go green with solar panels allowing them to generate their own renewable energy and reduce their electricity bills. 
 

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