As fuel prices rise and fuel shortages increase, British drivers are looking to buy an electric vehicle.
Slightly more than a year ago when the pandemic hit and there were lockdowns announced, there was panic buying of bread, tin food and toilet paper in most countries. There were news reports of people carting away dozens of toilet paper rolls like an Armageddon was coming. Then it all subsided a week later when supermarkets restocked their shelves and some panic stricken people having a years supply of toilet paper in their homes.
Where is the shortage
Now, a similar situation is happening in Britain with a temporary shortage of fuel. Yes, there is a shortage, but panic buying has forced many stations to close in the last 24 hours. In actual fact there is NO fuel shortage in Britain. There is only a shortage of Fuel Tanker DRIVERS to deliver the fuel. Yes, there is a driver shortage and about 10,000 drivers are needed right now.
Fueling Electric Vehicle queries
Here is why the Guardian reported that EVA England, a non-profit representing new and prospective electric vehicle (EV) drivers, has reported a rise in electric car inquiries and a growing interest at EV dealers, particularly in the last week.
“Saturday was bonkers but Friday even surpassed that, it was very strange,” said Miller, who founded his company four years ago. “I’ve now got trade-in cars with no petrol to move them.”
Along with existing factors such as the expansion of London’s ultra-low emission zone, the fuel crisis has proved to be another trigger point, he said. “People were using it as ‘this is the moment where I’m not going to put this off any longer’.”
The result of this panic has made the used EV market popular and is no longer reserved for innovators and early adopters, he said, with the most popular models the Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen ID 3 and Jaguar I-Pace being in demand now.
Ben Strzalko, the owner of Electric Cars UK in Leyland, Lancashire, said that as a small business it would take a few months to feel the knock-on effect of the fuel crisis on sales.
But every time there are problems with petrol or diesel, he said they acted as “one more tick for people making that transition to electric cars”.
He said “a lot of electric car owners will be chuffed to bits this last week” being able to plug in their cars at home. And as an EV driver himself, he admitted feeling a little smug as he drove past queues of 20 cars outside petrol stations over the weekend in his Tesla.
Matt Cleevely, the owner of Cleevely Electric Vehicles in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, which specializes in used EVs, had a surge of inquiries over the weekend and on Monday morning from customers citing the fuel crisis as a reason for switching to electric.
He expects enthusiasm to continue rising, with petrol shortages adding “fuel to the fire”.
Although he feels sorry for non-EV drivers who have been unable to get fuel, he said as an electric car owner it was “very nice” not to have to worry about where to get petrol at the weekend.
“It’s very convenient that we’ve been able to just fuel up on our driveway. It’s one of the biggest pros of having an electric vehicle.”
It was also reported that the National Franchised Dealers Association had multiple dealers reporting a spike in EV enquiries since the start of the crisis.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported “bumper growth” in the sale of plug-in cars in July, with battery electric vehicles comprising 9 percent of sales. Plug-in hybrids accounted for 8 percent of sales and hybrid electric vehicles nearly 12 percent. Also in July, more electric vehicles were registered than diesel for the second consecutive month.
As you would probably know by now, the UK has pledged to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and of new hybrids by 2035.
Warren Philips, the volunteer communities’ director at EVA England, said the tipping point for EVs had already been reached but the fuel crisis “underlines how electric cars could work for the majority of people”.
First there was revenge buying, now there is panic buying, what next, forced buying?
