The potholes in the Road to Zero are beginning to curtail the UK’s journey to zero-emission road transport. While certain sectors remain unable to accelerate adoption, those bearing the weight of the transition up to now are creaking under the strain. The assessment comes out of the BVRLA’s annual Road to Zero Report, which explores decarbonisation progress across vehicle supply, demand and infrastructure.
BVRLA Chief Executive, Gerry Keaney, said: “In a landmark year for road transport decarbonisation, electric car registrations are stalling, demand for electric vans is falling, while the used market for EVs faces collapse. Early momentum is waning. We have over one million zero-emission vehicles on the road, yet demand is imbalanced. We have more public chargepoints rolling out every month, yet confidence is slipping.
“This year’s Road to Zero Report presents a warts-and-all review of where we stand today. It highlights where the biggest wins can be delivered and how to stimulate previously overlooked sectors. Our new government must hit the ground running on road transport decarbonisation. Targeted action is needed on charging infrastructure, the used market, and the van transition. Armed with the insights in this report, we are ready to further those discussions right now.”
The Road to Zero Report, produced in association with Ricardo, combines up-to-date industry data and analysis with insights from senior stakeholders representing all corners of the vehicle rental, leasing, fleet management, and associated sectors. In doing so, it presents hard data supported by expert analysis and commentary.
The 2024 report shows how certain market-wide challenges are impacting the transition. Six months into the implementation of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, the early effects of its introduction are beginning to play out. Where business leasing for electric cars remains strong and is supporting manufacturers’ effort to meet the Mandate, demand for personal leasing has seen a slight decline. Rental utilisation of electric cars is limited and shows low demand as a result of driver concerns over charging and vehicle suitability.
Strong performance is shown in the roll out of chargepoints, which remains on track to surpass 300,000 units by 2030. Improvements in the existing network are being shown in better reliability, but the charging experience still has headroom in which to grow. Van-accessible chargepoints are not commonplace, while there remain universal calls for chargepoints to be booked in advance and for payments to be simplified.
Elsewhere, the Road to Zero Report explores the changing picture of repair, maintenance and insurance, as well as the state of the used BEV market and how it will evolve as the UK’s car parc changes. Across the core themes of vehicle demand, supply and infrastructure, the Report provides updated KPIs and progress indicators.
It is available in full via the dedicated RoadToZero.co.uk website.
