Sales of electric cars, including plug-in hybrids, surged in the UK last year, accounting for 12% of the new car market. That’s good news, even if it is far behind the EV sales records being set by Norway. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders claims average new car emissions fell 11.2% to 119.7 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer driven, according to a report by The Guardian. Emissions from cars have been rising in recent years due to an increase in gas guzzling behemoths, aka SUVs.
Mike Hawes, the head of SMMT, says, “Once again it is electrified vehicles that are driving the growth, despite the ongoing headwinds of chip shortages, rising inflation and the cost-of-living squeeze. 2022 is off to a reasonable start, however, and with around 50 new electrified models due for release this year, customers will have an ever greater choice, which can only be good for our shared environmental ambitions.”
There is still a long way to go as the EV revolution takes hold in the UK. In May, SMMT data showed that battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids made up only…
