Reflections & predictions

Like every month before it in 2021, December provided many significant twists and turns. Most notably perhaps was the surprise move to cut the EV grant from £2,500 to £1,500. And only making the cash boost eligible for cars priced up to £32,000. In only one year, the grant value has dropped twice, showing the rate at which demand has grown.

Carmakers were, as expected, slightly annoyed at this change, believing the grants are critical for buyers. Although, that could just be a cover for quite a few of them still being wary about the emphasis being placed on a switch to EVs and the rate of change – many of them think the green revolution will be more gradual. This aligns with the cautious approach many large manufacturers displayed in not signing up to bold EV commitments at COP26 last November.

Defying all odds though is Tesla. They yet again topped the lists of best-selling EVs, reporting a whopping 936,172 global deliveries for 2021, compared to around 500,000 in 2020.

Looking ahead as we enter 2022, a key EV theme of this year will almost certainly be around infrastructure. Last year showed that great, fun and practicable EVs are possible (and affordable). Now, as the number of EV drivers across the UK rockets, the impetus will be on everything from how rising energy costs affect charging prices, to the availability of public charging networks – a survey in December showed quality across the board was still all over the place.

One thing is for certain, 2022 is going to be just as (if not more) exciting for EVs than 2021.