Plug-in electric vehicles in the United Kingdom

Registration of plug-in electric vehicles in the UK between 2011 and 2014.[1][2][3][4]

The introduction of plug-in electric vehicles in the United Kingdom is actively supported by the British government, which, as of November 2013, has pledged £400 million to support the deployment of plug-in vehicles in the five years to March 2015.[5] More than 24,500 plug-in electric vehicles have been registered in the UK up until December 2014 including all-electric cars, commercial vans and plug-in hybrids,[6] of which, more than half (14,598) were registered in 2014.[4] This figure includes 1,467 registered electric cars and vans which were not eligible for the Plug-in Grant.[6] As of November 2013, Britain had around 5,000 public charging points, of which, only 200 are quick chargers.[5]

Before the market launch of highway-capable mass production plug-in electric cars, a total of 1,096 electric vehicles were registered in the country between 2006 and December 2010,[7] and during this time, the G-Wiz, a quadricycle, listed as the top-selling EV for several years.[8] Highway-capable pure electric car registrations climbed from 138 units in 2010 to 1,082 units during 2011.[9] During 2012, a total of 2,254 plug-in electric cars were registered in the UK,[2][10] with vehicles eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant representing a 0.1% market share of total new car sales in 2012.[11] A total of 3,586 plug-in electric cars were registered during 2013, representing a 0.16% market share of total new cars sales in 2013.[3][12]

The British market experienced a surge of plug-in car sales during 2014, as total registrations quadruple from 3,586 in 2013 to 14,498 units in 2014.[6][13][14] All-electric car registrations grew 167% while plug-in hybrid registrations were up 628% from a year earlier.[4] The plug-in electric car segment captured a 0.59% market share of new car sales in 2014, over three times and a half the market share of 2013 (0.16%).[4][15] As of December 2014, the Nissan Leaf continued ranking as the top selling plug-in electric car in the UK ever with cumulative sales of 7,197 units since its introduction in March 2011.[15][13][16] The Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV, introduced in 2014,became the country's the top selling plug-in hybrid ever with 5,370 units sold in 2014.[17][18] Sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV in the British market reached the 10,000 unit milestone in March 2015, allowing the plug-in hybrid to overtake the Leaf as the all-time top selling plug-in electric vehicle in the UK.[19][20]

The Plug-in Car Grant programme started on 1 January 2011 and is available across the UK. The programme reduces the up-front cost of eligible cars by providing a 25% grant towards the cost of new plug-in cars capped at £5,000. Both private and business fleet buyers are eligible for this grant which is received at the point of purchase.[21][22] The programme was extended in February 2012 to include plug-in vans. Van buyers can receive 20% - up to £8,000 - off the cost of a plug-in van. To be eligible for the scheme, vans have to meet performance criteria to ensure safety, range, and ultra-low tailpipe emissions.[23] Consumers, both business and private can receive the discount at the point of purchase.[23] As of January 2015, the cumulative number of eligible registered plug-in electric vehicles that have benefited with the subsidy totaled over 25,000 units since the launch of the two programmes,[24] of which, a total of 21,680 were eligible passenger cars registered since January 2011.[25]

Government support

Speaking at the G8 summit in 2008, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced plans for Britain to be at the forefront of a "green car revolution". Mr Brown suggested that by 2020 all new cars sold in Britain could be electric or hybrid vehicles producing less than 100 grams of CO2 per kilometer (5.7 oz(CO2)/mi).[26] In preparation for the introduction of mass-produced electric vehicles to Britain's roads, trials of electric cars took place from 2009, with further trials in cities across the UK from 2010. Local British councils were invited to submit bids to become Britain's first "green cities". One example is Glasgow, where a Scottish consortium has been awarded more than £1.8m to run a pilot electric car scheme from 2009 to 2011.[27]

A Mitsubishi i-MiEV part of London Streets fleet.

London mayor Boris Johnson also announced plans to deliver 25,000 electric car-charging places across the capital by 2015, in order to make London the "electric car capital of Europe". His target is to get 100,000 electric vehicles on to London's streets. Mr Johnson has also pledged to convert at least 1,000 Greater London Authority fleet vehicles to electric by 2015.[27][28] Transport for London also announced that all new taxis must be zero emissions capable by 2018.[29] As of June 2014, there were about 3,000 plug-in electric vehicles in London, 3% of the mayor's goal, up from 1,700 electric cars in January 2009. The city also has only 1,408 charging points in operation, of which, only 57% were used in the first quarter of 2014.[29] In response to criticism for the slow progress, the Office of the Mayor said "it was on target to have 100,000 electric vehicles in use in the capital by 2020."

Nissan's Sunderland plant — the largest car factory in the UK — was granted a £20.7 million grant from the British government and up to £220 million from the European Investment Bank.[30][31][32] Production of the Nissan Leaf at the Sunderland plant began in March 2013.[33] The plant has the capacity to produce 60,000 lithium-ion batteries and 50,000 Leafs a year.[30] The UK produced Leaf are sold only in Europe has an improved driving range, lower price and a more European design.[34] The price of the 2013 Leaf produced in Sunderland is lower than the model built in Japan,[35][36] and Nissan is offering a battery leasing option for the three trims produced at Sunderland, which further reduced the purchase price by £5,000.[37][38]

Public charging point in Arbroath Harbour, Scotland.

As of November 2013, the UK government had pledged £400 million to support the deployment of plug-in vehicles in the five years between March 2010 and March 2015. However, as of 30 September 2013, only £92 million had been spent and an additional of £44 million had been committed for projects up to March 2015, of which, £82 million were allocated for research and development; £16 million on infrastructure such as public charging points; and £25 million in consumer purchase incentives (Plug-in Car Grant). As of November 2013, the UK has around 5,000 public charging points, of which, only 200 are quick chargers.[5] By April 2014 the UK was the leader in quick charging deployment in Europe, with 211 CHAdeMO charging stations available across the country.[39]

As a result of lower than initially expected electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales, in January 2014 the UK government launched the "Go Ultra Low" national campaign in partnership with five of the largest manufacturers of plug-in electric vehicles, BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Vauxhall. The campaign has a cost of £2.5 million and its objective is to promote the benefits of electric and plug-in hybrid cars to buyers. The Government classifies any car emitting less than 75g/km of CO2 as ultra-low emission. The British government also announced its commitment to invest £9 million to install more rapid charge-points to make motorway journeys by electric car feasible. According to Nicholas Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, “Our clear objective is to move the car fleet in this country to ultra low-emission vehicles by 2040 and to put money and policy money behind it."[40]

In July 2014 Baroness Kramer, Minister of State for Transport, announced that all of the government’s fleets will be supplied with funding to introduce electric vehicles. The "Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Readiness Project", funded with £5 million, is the first step towards making all government vehicles electrically-powered. Central government fleets will benefit first, with plans to bring in over 150 plug-in cars and vans. The Government Car Service, which presently has 85 vehicles used by ministers, will be the initial target with electric cars expected to be in operation by the third quarter 2014. A second phase is scheduled next to provide funds for the public sector in general to purchase more electric vehicles. Beneficiary agencies includes the National Health Service, councils and police forces.[41]

Purchase incentives

In January 2009, transport secretary Geoff Hoon said the British government would make £250 million available for consumer incentives to bring electric cars to market in the UK.[28] The plug-in grant scheme was first announced in January 2009 by the Labour Government. The coalition government, led by David Cameron, took office in May 2010 and confirmed their support of the grant on 28 July 2010. This confirmed that £43 million would be available for the first 15 months of the scheme, with the 2011 Spending Review confirming funding for the programme for the lifetime of the Parliament of around £300 million.[42][43][44]

Two subsidy programs were implemented, the Plug-in Car Grant, from January 2011, and the Plug-In Car Grant, from February 2012. Both offer buyers of eligible vehicles a purchase subsidy discounted at the point of purchase. As of January 2015, the cumulative number of eligible registered plug-in electric vehicles that have benefited with the subsidy totaled over 25,000 units since the launch of the programmes.[24] Of these, a total of 21,680 were eligible cars registered since January 2011.[25] As of 30 June 2014, a total of 637 claims have been made through the Plug-in Van grant scheme since February 2012.[45][14] As of December 2014, there had been 1,467 electric cars and vans registered which were not eligible for the Plug-in Grant scheme.[6]

Plug-in Car Grant

The Plug-in Car Grant program started on 1 January 2011 and is available across the UK The programme reduces the up-front cost of eligible cars by providing a 25% grant towards the cost of new plug-in cars capped at £5,000 (US$7,650).[21][22] From 1 April 2015, the purchase price cap will be raised to cover up to 35% discount of the vehicle’s recommended retail price, up to the already existing £5,000 limit. This change means electric cars priced under £20,000, such as the Renault Zoe, will be able to take advantage of most or all of the £5,000 discount.[46] Both private and business fleet buyers are eligible for this grant which is received at the point of purchase.[21]

The subsidy programme is managed in a similar way to the grant made as part of the 2009 Car Scrappage Scheme, allowing consumers to buy an eligible car discounted at the point of purchase with the subsidy claimed back by the manufacturer afterwards.[21][22] The government announced in April 2014 that funding for the full grant of up to £5,000 will remain in place until either 50,000 grants have been issued or 2017, whichever is first.[46][24]

The Tesla Roadster was not included on the government's plug-in electric car grant list of eligible vehicles.[47]

Vehicles eligible for the subsidy must meet the following criteria:[21][48]

As of February 2015, the following 26 cars are eligible for the grant: Audi A3 e-tron, BMW i3, BMW i8, BYD e6, Chevrolet Volt, Citroen C-Zero, Ford Focus Electric, Kia Soul EV, Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive, Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-in Hybrid, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV, Nissan e-NV200 5-seater Combi, Nissan Leaf, Peugeot iOn, Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, Renault Fluence Z.E., Renault Zoe, Smart Fortwo electric drive, Tesla Model S, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Vauxhall Ampera, Volkswagen e-Golf, Volkswagen e-Up!, Volkswagen Golf GTE, and Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid.[49] The Tesla Roadster was not included in the government's list of eligible vehicles for the plug-in electric car grant. Tesla Motors stated that the company applied for the scheme, but did not complete its application.[47]

In February 2015 the government announced that to take account of rapidly developing technology, and the growing range of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) on the British market, the criteria for the plug-in car grant was updated and from April 2015, eligible ULEVs must meet criteria in one of the following categories depending on emission levels and zero-emission-capable mileage, with a technology neutral approach, which means that hydrogen fuel cell cars are also be eligible for the grant:[22][46]

In May 2015 the British government plans to review the plug in grant levels, after which, new levels of grant will be available per category.[22]

Plug-in Van Grant

The Plug-In Car Grant was extended to include vans since February 2012. Van buyers can receive 20% - up to £8,000 (US$12,240) - off the cost of a plug-in van. To be eligible for the scheme, vans have to meet performance criteria to ensure safety, range, and ultra-low tailpipe emissions.[23] Consumers, both business and private can receive the discount at the point of purchase. The eligibility criteria are:[23]

The Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell is eligible for the Plug-In Van Grant.

or extra evidence of battery performance to show reasonable performance after 3 years of use

As of February 2015 the following 9 vans are eligible for the grant: BD Otomotive eTraffic, BD Otomotiv eDucato, Citroën Berlingo, Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell, Mitsubishi Outlander GX3h 4Work, Nissan e-NV200, Peugeot ePartner, Renault Kangoo Z.E., and Smith Electric Edison.[49]

Plugged-in Places

On 19 November 2009, Andrew Adonis, the Secretary of State for Transport, announced a scheme called "Plugged-in-Places", making available £30 million to be shared between three and six cities to investigate further the viability of providing power supply for electric vehicles, and encouraging local government and business to participate and bid for funds.[50]

The Government is supporting the ‘Plugged-In Places’ programme to install vehicle recharging points across the UK. The scheme offers match-funding to consortia of businesses and public sector partners to support the installation of electric vehicle recharging infrastructure in lead places across the UK.[51] There are eight Plugged-In Places: East of England;[52] Greater Manchester; London;[53] Midlands;[54] Milton Keynes;[55] North East;[56] Northern Ireland;[57] and Scotland. The Government also published an Infrastructure Strategy in June 2011.[58]

London congestion charge

The Vauxhall Ampera is exempted from the London congestion charge.

All-electric vehicles (BEVs) and eligible plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) qualify for a 100% discount from the London congestion charge. A plug-in electric drive vehicle qualifies if the vehicle is registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and has a fuel type of 'electric', or alternatively, if the vehicle is a 'plug-in hybrid' and is on the Government's list of PHEVs eligible for the OLEV grant.[59] As of February 2015, approved PHEVs include all extended-range cars such as the BMW i3 with range extender and Vauxhall Ampera, and plug-in hybrids that emit 75g/km or less of CO2 and that meet the Euro 5 standard for air quality, such as the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, BMW i8, Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV, and Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid.[60]

The original Greener Vehicle Discount was substituted by the Ultra Low Emission Discount (ULED) scheme that went into effect on 1 July 2013. The ULED introduced more stringent emission standards that limited the free access to the congestion charge zone to any car or van that emits 75g/km or less of CO2 and meets the Euro 5 emission standards for air quality. As of July 2013 there are no internal combustion-only vehicles that meet this criteria. The measure is designed to limit the growing number of diesel vehicles on London's roads. Mayor Boris Johnson approved the new scheme in April 2013, after taking into account a number of comments received during the 12-week public consultation that took place. About 20,000 owners of vehicles registered for the Greener Vehicle Discount by June 2013 were granted a three-year sunset period (until 24 June 2016) before they have to pay the full congestion charge.[61][62][63][64]

Field testing programmes

Field testing with 100 Smart EDs began in London in 2007.[65][66] On 30 April 2009, the Electric Car Corporation put on sale the Citroën C1 ev'ie, an adapted Citroën C1 intended for city driving. On that date, it had a list price of £16,850 ($24,989 US).[67][68][69][70]

Mini E recharging in the UK

A demonstration trial with the Mini E took place between December 2009 and March 2011 with 40 Mini E cars leased to private users for a two consecutive six-month field trial periods.[71] In addition, one Mini E was delivered to the Government car pool in Downing Street to be tested by ministers in an urban environment on their official business around London.[72] The UK trial was a partnership between BMW Group UK, Scottish and Southern Energy, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. Data collection and research was conducted by Oxford Brookes University’s Sustainable Vehicle Engineering Centre throughout the UK project. Funding support was provided by the Technology Strategy Board and the Department for Transport (DFT) as part of the £25 million (US$41 million) UK-wide program involving trials of 340 ultra-low carbon vehicles from several carmakers.[71][72][73] The selected test area is roughly a triangle contained within the M40 motorway between the M25 motorway and Oxford, the A34 south to the M3 motorway, and the M3 back to the M25.[74]

The 40 Mini E electric cars were kept in use after the trial was completed in March 2011, participating in activities to promote awareness and understanding of electric vehicles. These cars were part of the BMW Group UK’s official vehicle fleet of 4,000 low-emission luxury vehicles deployed for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The fleet also included 160 BMW ActiveE electric cars.[71][75]

Sales

The REVAi/G-Wiz i electric car charging at an on-street station in London.

Since 2006, over 24,500 plug-in electric vehicles have been registered in the UK up until December 2014, including all-electric cars, commercial vans and plug-in hybrids.[6] Of these, more than half (14,598) were registered during 2014. The total figure includes 1,467 registered electric cars and vans which were not eligible for the Plug-in Grant,[4] and also includes a total of 637 all-electric commercial vans registered between February 2012 and June 2014.[23]

A total of 1,096 electric vehicles were registered in the country between 2006 and December 2010,[7] with the G-Wiz quadricycle as top selling EV for several years.[8] Electric car sales grew from 138 units in 2010 to 1,082 units during 2011.[9][1] During 2012, a total of 2,254 plug-in electric cars were registered in the UK, of which, 1,262 were pure electrics, and sales were led by the Nissan Leaf with 699 units, followed by the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid with 470 units, and the Vauxhall Ampera with 455 units sold in 2012.[2][10][16][76] In addition, 279 Renault Kangoo Z.E. electric vans and 252 Renault Twizy electric quadricycles were sold through September 2012.[77] Vehicles eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant accounted for 0.1% of total new car sales in 2012, with pure electric cars representing only 0.06%.[11]

During 2013, a total of 3,586 plug-in electric cars were registered, up 59.0% from 2012.[3][12] Of these, 2,512 were pure electric cars, up 99.0% from 2012, and 1,072 plug-in hybrids, up 8.1% from 2012.[3] Plug-in car sales represented a 0.16% market share of the 2.26 million new cars sold in the UK in 2013.[12] The top selling plug-in electric car during 2013 was the Nissan Leaf, with 1,812 units sold,[15] and the Prius PHV ended 2013 as the top selling plug-in hybrid with 509 units sold, up 8.5% from 2012.[12]

Leased Nissan Leafs operating as electric patrol cars for the West Midlands Police, England. As of December 2014, the Leaf was the top selling plug-in electric car in the UK ever, with 7,197 units sold since 2011.

The British market experienced a rapid growth of plug-in car sales during 2014, driven by the introduction of new models such as the BMW i3, Tesla Model S, Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV, Renault Zoe, and Volkswagen e-Up!.[6][13][14] The number of plug-in cars available in the market climbed from 9 models in 2011 to 18 in 2013, and to 29 models by the end of 2014.[6] Registrations during 2014 totaled 14,598 plug-in electric cars and consisted of 6,697 pure electrics and 7,821 plug-in hybrids. Total registrations in 2014 were up 305% from 2013, with all-electric cars growing 167% while plug-in hybrid registrations were up 628% from a year earlier.[4] The plug-in electric car segment captured a 0.59% market share of new car sales in 2014, over three times and a half the market share of 2013 (0.16%).[4][15] In November 2014, with 646 all-electric cars and 1,225 plug-in hybrids registered, the segment's market share passed 1% of monthly new car sales for the first time in the UK.[78][79] Again in January 2015, the segment's market share was over 1% of new car sales with 1,715 plug-in electric cars registered that month.[25][80]

The BMW i3 was among the top 5 selling plug-in electric cars in the UK in 2014.

Nissan Leaf sales in September 2014 achieved a record of 851 units, up from 332 units the same month in 2013, representing not only the best monthly sales ever in the UK, but also the largest volume of Nissan Leafs ever sold in one month in a European country. The previous European record was achieved by Norway in March 2013 with 703 Leafs sold in that month.[14][81] Sales of recently introduced BMW i3 and i8 models exceeded 1,600 units during 2014.[82] The Outlander P-HEV was among the new models with a significant effect in the market, released in April 2014, it captured a 35.8% market share of total plug-in sales during the first half of 2014.[83] The Mitsubishi plug-in hybrid became the top selling plug-in electric vehicle in July 2014 and captured 43% of all applications to the Plug-in Car Grants scheme that month.[84]

The Outlander P-HEV ended 2014 as the top selling plug-in electric car in the UK that year with 5,370 units sold.[17][18] Sales of the Nissan Leaf also experienced significant growth in 2014, with 4,051 units sold, up 124% from the 1,812 units sold in 2013, and ranked as the top selling all-electric car in 2014.[13] As of December 2014, the Leaf continued ranking as the top selling plug-in electric car in the UK ever with cumulative sales of 7,197 units since its introduction in March 2011.[15][13][16] Sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV in the British market reached the 10,000 unit milestone in March 2015, allowing the plug-in hybrid to overtake the Leaf as the all-time top selling plug-in electric vehicle in the UK.[19][85][20]

The following table presents registrations of highway-capable plug-in electric cars by model between 2010 and December 2014.


Registration of highway-capable electric cars by model
in the UK between 2010 and December 2014[1][2][76][12][13][86][87][88][89]
Model Total
Sales
2010–2014(2)		Market
share(1)		Sales
2014		Sales
2013		Sales
2012		Sales
2011 		Sales
2010
Nissan Leaf7,19731.9%4,051 1,812 699635  
Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV5,370 23.8%5,370[18]     
Renault Zoe1,3945.6%1,016[90] 378    
Toyota Prius PHV1,255 5.6%276(2) 509 470   
Vauxhall Ampera 1,039 4.6%405(2)175 455 4 
BMW i3 1,029 4.6%874(2)155   
Tesla Model S 474 2.1%474(2)    
Peugeot iOn 401 1.8% NA 26(3) 251 124 
Mitsubishi i MiEV2601.2%NA 1(3) 10712527
Citroën C-Zero 2010.9%NA 45(3)11046  
Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid141 0.6%141(2)     
BMW i8107 0.5%107(2)     
Chevrolet Volt 90 0.4%NA 23(3) 67  
Smart electric drive 79 0.4%NA 3(3) 13 63
Renault Fluence Z.E. 74 0.3%NA 7(3) 67  
Volkswagen e-Up!63 0.3%63(2)     
Volkswagen e-Golf420.2%42(2)     
BYD e6500.2%NA 50(3)    
Total registrations[1][2][4][7][91]22,536100%14,5183,5862,2541,082138
Notes: NA: not available. (1) Market share as percentage of the 22,536 highway-capable electric cars registered in the UK
since 2010 through December 2014. (2) CYTD through September 2014. (3) CYTD through June 2013.

Cost-effectiveness of carbon reductions

A study by Element Energy commissioned by BP and published in September 2013, concluded that the use of advanced biofuels in the UK, and particularly E20 cellulosic ethanol, is a more cost-effective way of reducing emissions than using plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in the timeframe to 2030. The study also found that the use of higher blends of biofuels is complementary to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) can deliver strong CO2 savings with a decarbonised electric grid, but are expected to have significantly higher costs than internal combustion engine vehicles and hybrid cars to 2030, as the latter are expected to be the most popular models by 2030. According to the study, blending biofuels in fuels is a cheaper way to reduce emissions than using BEVs in the timeframe to 2030, as an E20 blend in a HEV can achieve a 10% emission savings compared to an HEV running on E5, for an annual fuel cost premium of £13 compared to an annual cost of £195 for an all-electric car. The study also concluded that advanced biofuels address emissions of both new and existing vehicles, thus reducing emissions earlier than new powertrains and abating the risk of relying solely on longer term deployment of new technology.[92][93]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT) (2012-01-06). "December 2011 –EV and AFV registrations". SMMT. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT) (2013-01-07). "December 2012 – EV and AFV registrations". SMMT. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT) (2014-01-07). "December 2013 – EV registrations". SMT. Retrieved 2014-01-12..
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT) (2015-01-07). "December 2014 – EV registrations". SMT. Retrieved 2015-01-27. A total of 14,598 plug-in electric cars were registered during 2014, consisting of 6,697 pure electrics and 7,821 plug-in hybrids, up from 3,586 plug-in electric cars were registered in 2013. A total of 2,476,435 new cars were registered in 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Henry Foy (2013-12-15). "Spending to encourage use of electric cars falls flat". Financial Times. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Ben Lane (2015-01-12). "UK electric fleet passes 24,500 mark". UK: Next Green Car. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) (April 2011). "Motor Industry Facts 2011" (PDF). SMMT. Retrieved 2012-01-14. Download the pdf report. Data available by year in Table: AFV Registrations, pp.15. Data shows all type of EVs, including quadricycles.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield (2013-08-30). "TLC needed: Can cars like the G-Wiz still have a purpose in life?". The Green Car Website. Retrieved 2013-10-10.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). "Motor Industry Facts 2012" (PDF). SMMT. Retrieved 2013-10-10. Download the pdf report. Data available by year in Table: Alternatively-fuelled vehicle registrations by fuel type, pp.24. Data shows highway-capable EVs.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT) (2013). "New Car CO2 Report 2013" (PDF). SMMT. Retrieved 2013-03-17. See Table 5: New car CO2 emissions and registrations by fuel type (pp.8) SMMT reports 1,262 electric cars, 522 range extenders and 470 plug-in hybrids for a total of 2,254 PEVs sold in 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Duncan Kay, Nikolas Hill and Dan Newman (Ricardo-AEA) (April 2013). "Powering Ahead - The future of low-carbon cars and fuels" (PDF). RAC Foundation. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
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  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Will Nichols (2015-01-08). "Electric car sales quadruple during 2014". Business Green. Retrieved 2015-01-08. A total of 4,051 Leafs were sold in 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Will Nichols (2014-10-07). "UK electric car sales surge in 2014". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Fleet News (2014-01-23). "Nissan set a new UK sales record in 2013". Fleet News. Retrieved 2014-01-24. 1,812 Leafs were sold during 2013.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Mat Gasnier (2013-02-01). "UK Full Year 2012: Now with Top 350 All-models ranking!". Best Selling Cars Blog. Retrieved 2013-02-16. A total of 635 Leafs were sold in 2011 and 699 in 2012.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Confident Mitsubishi UK Builds On Strong 2014 Sales With New Five-Year Warranty" (Press release). London: Mitsubishi Motors UK. 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Graeme Roberts (2015-01-13). "Netherlands: Mitsubishi boosts European sales 28% in 2014". Just Auto. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the UK's Favourite Plug-In Vehicle". The Auto Channel. 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
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  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 "UK Government Announces £5,000 Grants Towards Purchase of Electric Drive Vehicles and First "Plugged-in Places"". Green Car Congress. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 "Plug-in car grant eligibility guidance". Department for Transport. February 2015. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Department for Transport (DfT) (2014-02-03). "Plug-in Van Grant". DfT. Retrieved 2014-08-17. As of 30 June 2013, 637 claims have been made through the plug-in van grant program.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Department for Transport, Office for Low Emission Vehicles and Baroness Krame (2015-02-13). "Take-up of plug-in car grant continues to rise - Number of ultra-low emission vehicles breaks 25,000 barrier.". UK Government. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT) (2015-02-05). "January 2015 – EV registrations". SMT. Retrieved 2015-02-16. A total of 21,680 eligible plug-in electric cars have been 21,680 since the launch of the Plug-In Car Grant in January 2011. A total of 512 pure electrics and 1,203 plug-in hybrids were registered in January 2015; and 1,708 eligible cars were granted the benefit in that month..
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