New AutoMotive, a transport research consultancy, has predicted that sales of battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) will make up 15% of the market for new vehicles this year. This is equivalent to about 300,000 vehicles, or one in every seven new vehicle sales.
From January to November last year, only 163,000 BEVs were registered, although this was, in itself, almost double the number that were bought in 2020. It therefore seems evident that the adoption of BEVs is growing rapidly as lithium batteries become cheaper and concerns about the environment grow.
Ben Nelmes, research and policy head at New AutoMotive, added a more cautious note while speaking to the news agency PA:
“This rapid growth is welcome news, but an additional 300,000 electric cars set against some 32 million internal combustion vehicles on the road falls well short of what is possible and what is necessary.”
It will take time to replace all vehicles with internal combustion engines, although all-new vehicles will need to be electrically propelled by 2030. Adoption should also increase as more charging points are added.
Switching a commercial fleet to electric vehicles can bring benefits, but BEVs need their own specialised lubricants and fluids. For example, rather than use traditional lubricants like Castrol Edge, equivalent products like the Castrol ON range of fluids can be used. At TrAchem, our team can help you identify the best lubricants for your fleet, whether it’s electric or non-electric, or a mixture thereof.
