Aftermarket December/January 2023

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2023 AFTERMARKET 61 www.aftermarketonline.net ssociation ent A quipm ge E a e Gar Th 5 e 194 c ds sin dar y stan dustr s of In older e Uph d ! ar ation c ed it r or his ac f gin our e n y Ask eer c IS Y . Y ent A For peace of mind always use a Garage Equipm ssociation member. GEA accredited engineers work to an industry code of conduct our assurance their skills and knowledge have been independently assessed. OUR EQUIPMENT ENGINEER GEA ACCREDITED? Th .c www.gea o.uk xpDat GEA ACCREDITED ENGINEER Name Company Discipline E e IDNumber XX123456 XX123456 XX123456 XX123456 XX123456 plug-in EVs on the road in total across the UK. Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) sales went up 16.5% to 29,088, while petrol car sales were up 4.3% to 126,873. Meanwhile, diesels went down 14.5% to 18,911. Commenting on the figures, SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said; “September has seen Britain’s millionth electric car reach the road – an important milestone in the shift to zero emission mobility. Battery electric vehicles make up but a small fraction of cars on the road, so we need to ensure every lever is pulled to encourage motorists to make the shift if our green goals are to be met. The overall market remains weak, however, as supply chain issues continue to constrain model availability. Whilst the industry is working hard to address these issues, the long-term recovery of the market also depends on robust consumer confidence and economic stability.” According to John Wilmot, CEO at car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco, the EV market will need long-term support: “One million electric vehicles registered makes great headlines, but without full government commitment to its Net Zero strategy, momentum will be lost. The next six months will be critical to maintain that momentum, as buyer demand comes under increased pressure with the higher costs of running an electric car under the spotlight as energy prices have spiralled. Looking at the wider picture, September saw a second consecutive month of positive new car registrations after five consecutive months of decline, but t's too early to talk about the green shoots of a recovery, particularly against a backdrop of continued production constraints, long delivery lead times and the cost of living crisis.” AA Cars CEO James Fairclough added: “Upgrading your car to a bigger or newer model is often a discretionary purchase, and so is prone to being deferred whenever people are anxious about their financial prospects. With the cost of living crisis and rising mortgage costs already reducing disposable incomes, many drivers are opting to buy their next car second-hand rather than new.” Silverstone Dream Racer? EV range advances highlighted via Tour de Electric The improving range of electric cars from a single charge was recently demonstrated in an imaginary ‘Tour de Electric’ endurance race around Silverstone, with a number of Volkswagen vehicles being put through their paces with a view to helping address consumer concerns, and show that EVs are catching up with internal combustion engine vehicles. A fully charged Volkswagen ID.3 will deliver up to 340 miles of range depending on use, against the 356- 475 mile capacity of the Golf 8. Based on a 290 mile median range, the ID.3 can run 79 laps of the 3.66 mile Silverstone circuit on a single charge, while a single tank of fuel for the Golf 8 will allow it to complete 114 laps. Meanwhile, an Audi Q4 e-Tron 40 offers a 316-mile range as opposed to the ICE Audi Q5 which can provide up to 520 miles depending on use. At the same time, the Skoda Enyaq 80 delivers 339 miles of range capacity compared to the Skoda Kodiaq SE L at 525 miles. Lastly, the Porsche Taycan fields a 193 mile range, as opposed to the Porsche 911 which can manage 440 miles on a full tank. Emma Loveday, Senior Fleet Consultant at Volkswagen Financial Services UK, said: “As battery technologies continue to advance and range capacity increases across the new EV models being released in to the market, the current mileage range gap will continue to close. As we look to further support the Climate Change Committee’s target that at least 55% of light vehicles on UK roads should be battery operated by 2032, and if range parity is a consideration, this should provide further encouragement to would-be purchasers looking at EV options for the first time.” Research conducted by Volkswagen Financial Services UK shows that range anxiety has now been replaced by charging anxiety. This is despite the fact that according to data from Zap-Map, with 20,534 charging locations across the UK, as opposed to 8,378 traditional filling stations, there are actually more places to charge a battery than fill a tank. At the end of August 2022, there were 33,996 individual EV charging points across the UK, 34% up on August 2021. www.aftermarketonline.net