With heavier emphasis on the environment, UK government bodies, businesses and individuals alike have been working towards a common goal – lowering our carbon emissions.
“A number of countries, including the UK, have made commitments to move to a net zero emissions economy. This is in response to climate science showing that in order to halt climate change, carbon emissions have to stop – reducing them is not sufficient. ‘Net zero’ means that any emissions are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.” Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit writes on their site.
“In order to meet the 1.5°C global warming target in the Paris Agreement, global carbon emissions should reach net zero around mid-century. For developed nations such as the UK, the date may need to be earlier. Many have already set such dates.”
One of the main contributors to the UK’s carbon footprint is transport. Out of 46% of the carbon emissions, 8.6% of it is generated from car fuel which is why the government has put greater emphasis on strengthening relevant infrastructure to make it more eco-friendly.
The financial plans the UK government has regarding electric vehicles aims to encourage the general public in gradually converting to electric cars and leading the country towards the net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2050. Some of the fundings that have been announced include:
£10 million electrical vehicle investment:
In addition to the £73.5 million funding invested in green transport, these costs were distributed across 10 projects that helped develop eco-friendly technology, like recyclable batteries, lighter components and advanced electrical systems for taxis, cars and vans.
This also helped safeguard more than 14,000 UK jobs in hopes of producing a greater volume of low emission vehicles and parts and help the British automotive industry progress to electric vehicles soon.
£500 million to boost electric vehicle infrastructure:
The government has also pledged £500 million boosting the electric vehicle infrastructure by rolling out new rapid charge hubs in hopes to push consumers to make the switch.
Banning new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars by 2035:
In alliance to other electric vehicle goals, the government has brought forward the ban on selling new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars from 2040 to 2035, with some suggesting that this ban could come even sooner in 2032.
What the public thinks about electric cars
As a result of these announcements, Lease Car have taken this opportunity to consult the general public to see whether this has changed their perception towards getting an electric vehicle if they haven’t already.
From the surveyed people, they found the following.
With regards to current car ownership, 59 percent of survey takers said they own a car with a petrol engine, 25 percent of respondents reported that they have a car with a diesel engine. Only 7 percent of drivers said they drive a hybrid car and 3 percent reported owning an electric vehicle.
When asked about considering electric cars in the future, 43 per cent show a very promising agreement in switching to an electric car in the future, with 40 per cent saying they are somewhat likely and only 17 per cent reported that they are unlikely to invest in an electric vehicle.
Lease Car investigated further on why some people are reluctant to make the switch. They found that 70 percent admitted they were put off making the switch to electric vehicles by the cost associated with these cars, whilst 65 per cent said a lack of charging points was a turn off when it comes to transferring from fossil fuel to electric-powered vehicles. Another 21 percent of the respondents confessed to not having enough understanding for electric motors. Nonetheless, 19 per cent think electric cars simply aren’t good enough in design.
Hopefully with an understanding of how consumers feel about electric cars, the government can enforce and collaborate with relevant people in order to further encourage the general public to have the incentive to switch over to electric cars in hopes to meet the net zero carbon emission by 2050.
Do you think the government has put enough effort into making the UK a greener place by focusing on electric vehicles?