Last night the BBC Top Gear programme effectively killed off electric car sales in the UK - for now. For the hundreds of motorists who have been looking at electric cars with interest, uncomfortable with their current carbon emissions, but with concerns regarding range anxiety, their minds have now been made up. Don't buy an electric car.
Top Gear understand the power of an image and the sight of the Nissan Leaf and the Peugeot ion running completely out of charge and then being pushed, well that was the coup de grace for EV sales in this country in 2011.
The old trick of damning with faint praise and 'balanced' reporting worked well. The gentle suggestion that EVs are cool but that batteries will never work as a fuel carrier and that fuel cells are the future put enough doubt into our minds. Brilliant. Game over.
Or is it?
Of course not, the challenge just became a little harder that's all. At least now any smugness over the Leaf has been blown away. EVs will still sell in future, because petrol will continue to become scarcer and so more expensive. EVs will sell because climate change is not going away as an issue. EVs will sell because battery range will increase and 32 amp fast charging will become possible on all EVs, to supplement overnight standard 16 amp charging. EVs will sell because manufacturers will now be forced to build and then price EVs competitively compared to conventionally fuelled cars. And finally, EVs will sell because the government will be forced to introduce stricter measures that nudge and support manufacturers in this direction.
I hope that the consequence of last night's programme will be to stimulate fresh thinking on EVs and challenge us. So thank you Top Gear, that was just the kicking that we need to try harder to make EVs more appealing to motorists.
It will be interesting to see what impact the more competitively priced Renault ZE range will have on EV sales, with the Fluence and soon the Zoe being introduced for sale. Meanwhile, it is time for the UK government to rethink its carbon reduction strategy for transport - I suggest that from March 2012 they use what's left of the Plugged In '20% up to £5,000' incentive only for EVs priced under £15,000.
That would put the emphasis on city cars, second cars for the family, commuter cars and cars used for the school run, shopping and local leisure. In other words, let's fit the incentives to the technology - including its current limitations - and focus everyone on the benefits and advantages of EVs rather than their disadvantages.
