From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
By Paul Homewood
More bad news for the EV rollout:
Britain’s car industry has urged the government to dish out tax breaks or other incentives to encourage people to buy electric vehicles (EVs), amid fears that consumer enthusiasm is on the wane.
The government will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, but has wound back incentives for buyers – just as motorists have started to fret more about how much EVs cost and whether there is enough charging infrastructure.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the British car industry’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said EV makers had now made all the early, easier gains, and needed more public support to keep the 2030 target in sight.
Volkswagen’s managing director has warned the sale of electric vehicles is ‘stagnating’ as a poll revealed just 2 per cent of drivers would buy one in the near future.
Alex Smith warned there are currently few incentives to buy EVs.
He claimed sales are in ‘stagnation’ with EVs still ‘relatively expensive’ compared to petrol and diesel cars, adding: ‘It’s true to say that with the retail price of an electric car, you will find a premium.’
It came as a poll of 2,375 UK motorists found that just 2 per cent would buy an EV right now.
The survey, carried out for industry body the Society for Motor Manufactures and Traders found more than half are not planning to buy one until 2026 or later.
The figures led to growing calls for more support for private buyers to switch to EVs ahead of the planned ban on new petrol and diesel car sales from 2030.
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And things are no better in Germany:
Volkswagen AG is cutting temporary workers at its main electric-vehicle factory in Germany because of waning orders for its EVs in Europe.
The manufacturer plans to let go nearly 300 people at the Zwickau plant when their contracts expire in October, according to people familiar with the matter. The fate of around 2,000 additional temporary staff remains uncertain, the people said, declining to be named because a final decision hasn’t been made yet.
Volkswagen is having a tough time selling enough mostly made-in-Germany electric cars to challenge Tesla Inc.’s global dominance. Lackluster economic growth as well as higher energy, living and borrowing costs in Europe have weighed on demand for its ID fleet of EVs.
The company hired around 2,700 temporary workers at the Zwickau facility near the Czech border to meet expected surging EV demand. But orders from corporate clients — which account for around 70% of the IDs built at the plant — have been plummeting since a federal subsidy for battery-powered company vehicles expired this month, one of the people said.
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When will the motor industry and government get the message that the vast majority of drivers don’t want the useless things?