In this instalment of John Murdoch's Drive Time, John discovers how the industry is demanding electric vehicle tax cuts and showcases tempting prices for the new Citroen C3.As a result, the motoring industry is calling on the next government to take drastic action to make electric vehicle ownership more affordable if targets for EV sales are to be hit.
Overall sales of BEVs rose by 6.2 per cent to claim an increased 17.6 per cent market share, but the growth was driven by fleet and business buyers who continued to fuel overall market growth, narrowly offsetting a 12.9 per cent decline in private retail uptake. More than 100 BEVs are now available from car dealers and prices for many are being heavily discounted by manufacturers.
The organisation believes that this would drive up demand, putting more than a quarter of a million EVs on the road instead of petrol or diesel cars over the next three years. In further motoring developments, the latest generation of the popular Citroen C3 hatchback will be available both as an all-electric and petrol-powered model when it arrives in the next few months.
The new e-C3 is the first to use the Stellantis Smart Car platform which uses a 44kWh lithium ferro phosphate battery pack that can be recharged from 10 to 80 per cent capacity in just 26 minutes from a fast charger.With a 113hp electric motor and automatic transmission it can get to 62mph in around 11 seconds with a top speed of around 84mph.