Following on from the inaugural World EV Day last week, Ford of Britain Managing Director,
Andy Barratt spoke about how we can all come together and make the journey to fully electric vehicles.
In promoting the work that Ford and their dealers are doing to support the ever-growing electric range, he said: “We’re embarking on a national roadshow called Go Electric to help inform customers about, not just electric vehicles, but electrified vehicles (plug-in and hybrids). That journey to fully electric can start with these hybrid vehicles as the first on this journey.”
Backed by the TC Harrison Ford
Ultimate Guide to Electric Vehicles, which is another way for consumers to greater understand the benefits of electric vehicles. The Go Electric scheme will help abolish any range anxiety or fear of lack of infrastructure.
On the concerns from consumers, Andy said: “When you look at all the feedback we’re getting from customers about range anxiety, affordability, it’s clear that some do not understand the technology. If we’re going to make that change to the zero-emission policy then we need to join up the infrastructure, Government both national and local, power generation and OEM car manufacturing to get a cohesive view and find a narrative to meet the pace.”
And with affordability being a key concern, it is hard to look past the numbers on paper. Yet, when you deep dive into the finer details, Government schemes and incentives along with the long-term running costs shrink the initial outlay gap, and in some cases make them much more affordable. We know the future of electric vehicles is already here, the conversation has been happening for years and the evidence to support the growth is overwhelming, especially given the Global Pandemic.
Now, electric vehicles are on the brink of being the norm. The latest models are considered to be the same price in the long-run as ICE vehicles and by 2023 it is widely accepted that ICE vehicles will become socially unacceptable with over a third of vehicle owners now driving an EV.
Not just that, but in the next couple of years it is fully expected that EV’s will be materially cheaper than ICE vehicles, which will well and truly set the wheels in motion for rapid adaptation. Before 2025 ICE leases are thought to be 50% expensive than EV with them being almost impossible a year later.
How can we be confident? Norway are pretty much there already with EV leasing over half the price of an ICE leasing option. So it’s only a matter of time before that option isn’t viable for anyone...
From here it’s then a matter of completing the cycle of every car owner purchasing a new vehicle; which will no doubt be electric. Ultimately, the chances are you have already purchased your last sole ICE vehicle.