Jordan Brompton, co-founder and CMO of Myenergi, on the latest milestone for plug-in cars.

Jordan Brompton, co-founder and CMO of EV charger firm Myenergi

This week saw the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) release its new car registration data for October. Detailing the number of units sold during the month, the report breaks down transactional data into fuel type, purchase type and manufacturer split.

Importantly, a major milestone was silently reached during October – the official registration of the UK’s 2,000,000th plug-in car since modern records began in 2010 (when just 138 EVs were registered). This statistic alone puts the growth of electrification into stark contrast and demonstrates our monumental national progress towards a cleaner, greener, lower carbon car parc.

With the second plate change of the year having driven a significant uplift in vehicle registrations throughout September, it’s positive to see that this momentum has continued into October. Indeed, a total of 144,288 new cars were registered throughout the month – 54,853 privately, 86,701 by fleets and 2,734 by businesses.

Of this total, 72,681 (50%) of cars registered were petrol, 8,961 (6%) were diesel, 19,012 (13%) were hybrid and 43,634 (30%) were plug-in, combining battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Increasing 14% compared to October 2023, plug-in registrations have jumped by more than 16% so far in 2024, compared to the same 10-month period last year.

Shifting behaviours are also reflected by the individual performance of many vehicle manufacturers. While brands traditionally renowned for their internal combustion engine-powered vehicles, such as Abarth and Maserati, saw their market share eroded in October (by 15% and 62% respectively), many of the brands leading the way in electrification reported an impressive monthly performance. BYD for example increased 326%.

The devil’s in the data

On its own, this single, unremarkable registration is simply a flag-bearing sign of extraordinary progress. However, it’s the supporting detail behind the transition to electrification that makes for impressive reading.

For example, according to Zapmap, there were 71,459 public charging points operational across the UK as of the end of October – 108,633 connectors across 36,060 accessible locations. This represents an increase of more than 38% year-on-year, with 30,815 (43%) devices classified as either fast, rapid or ultra-rapid.

But that’s not all. Data from Charge UK suggests that, when combined with private and destination charging, there are now more than a million devices operational nationwide. This is potentially a pessimistic calculation too, with 85% of all EV charging said to take place on the driveway. At Myenergi alone, our Zappi is responsible for more than 100,000 installed devices – upwards of one in every 10 connections.

As a result of this collective progress, an estimated 15 billion UK miles are now powered by electricity per annum. What’s more, thanks to the rise of smart devices, solar compatible technologies and renewable energy charging stations, an increasing number are powered entirely by renewable energy. It’s a truly monumental shift achieved in a short space of time and one that will define the industry for years to come.

Concerns over infrastructure and access to charging are quickly becoming yesterday’s chip paper. Compared to the UK’s far humbler 8,353 petrol stations (both operational and under development), EV infrastructure is clearly racing ahead.

The future’s bright

While we may have surpassed the UK’s 2,000,000th plug-in registration milestone, this is no time for stepping back and celebrating. Progress must continue – and for good reason, too. If the industry maintains an incremental pace, we’re likely to see another 100,000 plug-in cars registered before the end of the calendar year. This snowball effect is important to accelerate UK’s transition to electrification.

When you add in the used EV market, which has grown by more than 50% year-on-year and is now responsible for more than 40,000 transactions every 12 weeks, the size of the opportunity is clear. Plug-in vehicles are quickly becoming the purchase of choice for discerning drivers and environmentally conscious businesses – and momentum is building.

As a result, by 2030, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) estimates that UK roads will play host to between 8-11 million electric or hybrid cars, comprising 70% of all new car sales. By 2035, and the ban on the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans, this number will have likely doubled.

This may sound a huge distance to travel from the two million plug-in cars registered today, but recent progress suggests that this target is not just achievable, but realistic. The positive news is that, as the EV market continues to grow, charging infrastructure is being developed at a pace to match.

By 2035, the vast majority of road miles will be electric and – if we at Myenergi have anything to do with it – will likely be powered primarily by renewables too.