Industry celebrates World EV Day

The EV industry celebrated the 5th anniversary of World EV Day this week, with companies across the board offering discounts and deals to mark the occasion.

RAW Charging offers free charging throughout the week at key locations including Alton Towers, National Trust sites, McArthurGlen retail outlets, and Greene King pubs.

Elsewhere, Oxford City Council are offering a similar deal on their charge points, and Octopus Electroverse is running a competition offering a luxury EV and free charge card for a week to its lucky prize winner.

Across social media the industry took the time to reflect on how far we’ve come, and the reasons behind our drive towards a greener energy transition.

You may have caught our post celebrating our users' achievements, and we also saw talk of a new landmark figure of around ‘half’ of UK drivers now being primed to make the switch

A study carried out by CA Auto Finance coincided with World EV Day and found that around 75% of participants between 18 and 24 are ready to choose electric vehicles.

The study went deeper into some of the issues surrounding electrification, with 79% of participants stating that strong incentivisation could encourage them to make the switch.

With such positive figures in sight, the week will be a firm reminder that the future of EV is looking brighter than ever!

Most petrol car drivers score just 2 out of 10 for EV knowledge

Polling of petrol car drivers by YouGov for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has shown that most EV drivers demonstrate a poor understanding of the EV offering.

When asked if 10 separate statements about EVs were true or false, more than half (57%) of petrol/diesel drivers got just 2 or fewer out of ten answers correct, with 90% scoring just five or less out of ten. 

Around a quarter (23%) scored 0 out of 10.

The study looked at the links between this lack of knowledge and their relative reluctance to make the EV switch, with people who display a poor understanding of EVs being less likely to want their next car to be an EV. Drivers who scored two or less out of 10 were 11 times less likely to want their next car to be an EV than those who scored eight or more out of 10.

Colin Walker, Head of Transport at ECIU, said:

“Poll after poll has found EV drivers love their cars and simply wouldn’t go back to petrol. But all the myths being pedaled about EVs are misleading some petrol car drivers who now have a really poor knowledge of electric cars.”

”The constant stream of EV misinformation is clearly causing confusion, and holding many of the UK’s drivers back from making the switch to cleaner and cheaper electric driving.”

The statements used in the survey covered costs of owning and running an EV, charging, the natural resources needed to build and run an EV, and even the likelihood of a fire. For example:

• Nearly two-thirds (62%) of petrol drivers believed it’s more expensive to own and run an EV, with only 14% correctly recognising that EVs are typically cheaper. 

• 80% of petrol drivers thought the UK was not on course to install the charging infrastructure it needs, despite the country being ahead of schedule.

• More drivers (35%) incorrectly believed that an EV’s lifetime CO2 emissions are no less than those of a petrol car than correctly identified this statement as false (32%). 

• 41% of petrol drivers incorrectly thought that EVs are more likely to catch fire than petrol cars, with only 24% correct in their understanding that they are less likely to catch fire. 

But for those who have spent any time in the EV industry, these opinions will be nothing new. Misinformation about the vehicles’ safety, costs, range, and environmental credentials has been rife since the founding of the industry, with the issue being brought before parliament as recently as the beginning of 2024.

Of course, EV drivers themselves are well aware of the benefits of the vehicles - with 90%+ approval rates of vehicles being commonplace.

With the government already promising more support for the EV switch, it’s important the industry  collectively continue combatting misinformation and making evident the real-world benefits.

EV ‘Trade War’ latest as China hits back

We covered Canada’s implementation of a 100% tax rate on all Chinese EV imports in last week’s round-up, and this week China responded to the news with economic threats of its own.

China has announced a probe of Canadian canola imports, escalating a trade fight between the two countries.

The move, which could lead to tariffs on a key Canadian export, came a week after Canada said it would impose new border taxes on Chinese-made electric vehicles, steel and aluminium.

Beijing also said it would file a complaint with the World Trade Organisation over the EV tariffs, which it criticised as "discriminatory" and "unilateral".

Canada exports more than 90% of its canola, which is sold as raw seed, oil, or meal and is used for cooking, animal feed and some forms of energy, according to the council.

China's imports of Canadian canola were worth roughly $C5bn (£2.8bn) last year, making the country the second biggest market after the US.

It has been the target in previous trade disputes.

Beijing blocked exports from two major Canadian grain companies for three years citing pest concerns, following the 2018 arrest in Vancouver of Chinese businesswoman Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer of Huawei.

Ultimately, this will prove the next ‘play’ as each side battles it out for dominance in key markets, leveraging their resources and tariffs. 

It will remain to be seen if either side will back down, and what impact these tariffs will have on the Chinese EV industry that has seen largest manufacturer BYD surpass the synonymous Tesla in new sales.

That’s it for another week’s round-up! Follow our socials for more EV updates, and visit our resources page to explore more EV charging news and features of the industry, to understand how EV charging software can help you make the most of your electric vehicle.