How new technology is boosting the sale of electric vehicles

The UK government recently announced that it will go ahead with plans to ban the sale of all diesel and petrol cars by the year 2040. In a move that could see a number of consumers trading in their used cars for cleaner, greener alternatives, the plans have also affected the sale of electric vehicles. Recent data shows that there were over 130,000 electric vehicle registrations last year, with that figure expected to rise dramatically by the end of 2018. So, what has made the electric vehicle industry so successful? Experts have said that it could be down to new technological developments in the electric vehicle industry. Electric vehicle owners initially faced a number of set-backs back when EV’s were a fairly new concept, over time however, the introduction of new technology has made these issues less of a problem.

How will the automotive industry adapt to the changing market?

A number of vehicle manufacturers have already been making plans to adapt to the changing market and changing consumer needs. Jaguar and Land Rover are late comers to the electric vehicle market, only recently introducing their first all-electric vehicle, the Jaguar I-Pace concept. But that hasn’t stopped them from pulling out all the stops to catch up, by announcing that they plan to be all electric by 2020 – a big step into the EV industry for new comers. This news followed Volvo’s pledge to do the same but by 2019. The prestige brand promises that all new models produced and registered from 2020 will be fully electric or hybrid – and that their customers will have more choice moving forward.

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What steps have been taken to develop better electric vehicle models?

It was recently announced that Jaguar Land Rover will construct a new manufacturing plant for electric cars in the UK. The new plant would be similar to the Nissan factory in Sunderland and would increase the production of new electric vehicles. Whilst it is not confirmed, the plan is a big step towards the brand committing to their EV plan.

Nissan have also taken steps to manufacture better electric vehicles – they have already sold thousands of models and are the brains behind the second most popular electric model in retail, and the bestselling all electric model in the UK, the Nissan Leaf – with over 30,500 units sold in the UK, and over 300,000 units worldwide. And with the launch of its newest model, could the Leaf take the top spot? The new model has a battery mileage range that is double the range of its previous models. An issue that was apparent for all manufacturers, not just Nissan.

Engineers at Nissan have worked on improving their range of EV’s over the past few years. The 2011 Nissan Leaf had a range of just 75 miles, but progress in the industry has since taken huge leaps towards its new 235 mile range – progress that could be intrinsic to the future success of the model, and for the industry. Additionally, they also fitted the first one pedal driving system – an optional system that allows you to transform the accelerator into an e-pedal to function as a start, stop, accelerate and brake pedal.

Electric vehicles have completely transformed the automotive industry over the past few years.  Drivers have realised the harmful effects of their petrol and diesel automobiles, and the government’s plans are underway. To survive the transition, now is the time to come up with an electric vehicle plan. For automotive manufacturers, they need to get their head in the EV game to survive the market.