According to analysis carried out by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT ) in the UK, which has largely similar new car options to Ireland, the average official full range of a new electric car coming to the market for the first time in 2023 is close to 480 kilometres. That is up from 338 kilometres in 2020.
As the technology continues to develop, battery range has expanded. This has boosted the average range for all the available electric cars on a single charge, including those models launched in recent years, is now 380 kilometres.
The SMMT says that the new 480 kilometres range is around three times the average distance driven per week. That is based on a UK Department for Transport national travel survey, in August 2022, which showed an average annual mileage of 5,300 miles (or 8,530 kilometres ). That certainly isn’t relevant in rural Ireland or with any fleet drivers.
However, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland says that 80 per cent of car journeys in Ireland cover distances of 20km or under.
Some of the latest new electric vehicles are available with much higher ranges. In fact, three top-end models are also available with ranges in excess of 725 kilometres. That is where we have to be heading as an average in two years time, if range anxiety is to be all but eliminated.
In addition to that, to ensure all drivers can benefit from the electric switch, no matter where they live, the huge choice of vehicles needs to be matched with a choice of affordable, reliable charging options, particularly for those unable to access home charging. This is what it will take for many Irish drivers to that are thinking of going fully electric, so they do so with greater confidence.
Drivers in Britain have seen their choice of battery electric car models quadruple in the past five years as manufacturers commit to delivering the UK’s ambition of being the first major car market to go zero emission.
There are now around 80 ‘electric picks’ available across every vehicle segment – compared with just 21 in 2018 – ranging from super-small urban commuter vehicles to multipurpose people carriers, and everything in between. As result, almost one in four car models is available as a battery electric vehicle (BEV ). That is based on the total models (all powertrains ) available being 327.
On top of the huge number of available BEV models, drivers looking to cut their carbon while on the move can also choose from 94 plug-in hybrid (PHEV ) and 42 hybrid (HEV ) models – meaning electrified
vehicles comprise almost two-thirds of all models available.
Vans going electric too
Other vehicles are making the switch too, and helping Britain to decarbonise its transport. There are now 23 models of electric van, 14 models of zero emission buses powered by electric or hydrogen, and even 20 models of electric truck now available in the UK as the nation heads towards 2035, which will see the end of sale of all non-zero emission vehicles weighing less than 26 tonnes.
