Electric vehicles (EVs) have been touted as an environmentally-friendly solution to the climate crisis, giving passengers a smooth, emissions-free ride.
But it seems the electric revolution – deemed essential to curb carbon emissions – is running out of road.
MailOnline’s graph reveals that global EV sales have slumped in recent months for three top manufacturers, as the public struggles to fall in love with the technology.
Despite growing steam long-term, Elon Musk‘s Tesla saw quarterly EV sales fall from a peak of 484,500 in Q4 2023 to just 386,800 in the first quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, Chinese car manufacturer BYD – the world’s largest seller of electric vehicles – saw global EV sales crash earlier this year.
In the first quarter of this year, it sold just over 300,000 EVs – dramatically down from 526,000 in the final quarter of last year.
Similarly, German carmaker Volkswagen sold 239,500 EVs in Q4 2023, but only 136,400 the following quarter, although sales recovered to 180,800 in Q2 this year.
It comes as Volkswagen has been forced to close three of its factories and slash jobs, partly due to a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles.
Elon Musk ‘s Tesla , despite growing steam long-term, saw quarterly sales fall from a peak of 484,500 in Q4 2023 and 386,800 in the first quarter of 2024. Pictured, a Tesla Model S charging
Why are EV sales slumping?
Two experts claim that there’s a ‘clear downward trend’ in the global EV market.
Electric vehicles run on energy from a charged battery much like a smartphone but come with hefty pricetags – around £46,000 on average in the UK.
‘Electric vehicles typically cost more upfront,’ say Milad Haghani, lecturer in urban analytics at UNSW Sydney, and Hadi Ghaderi, a supply chain professor at Swinburne University of Technology, in a piece for The Conversation.
‘Sales have slowed in parts of Europe and the United States often due to reduced incentives, but strong sales growth continues in other regions such as China and India.’
The two experts say a ‘flood of cheaper Chinese vehicles’ is lowering the cost barrier.
However, these Eastern exports have triggered surveillance fears.
Another ‘major issue’ for car buyers is uncertainty about an electric model’s resale value compared to a standard petrol or diesel, the researchers point out.
Electric cars made by Chinese firm BYD have more attractive prices than those from the likes of rival Tesla, owned by Elon Musk and based in California
BYD cars come equipped with all the latest high-tech features such as 360-degree camera, radar and sensors to assist the driver and help avoid obstacles – fueling surveillance fears
‘Consumers are concerned electric vehicles depreciate faster than traditional cars… these concerns are particularly tied to battery degradation, which affects a car’s range and performance over time.’
Meanwhile, EV fires have made headlines globally – including a high-profile battery fire in a Korean parking lot in August – creating doubts among consumers.
What are the UK’s EV plans?
In the UK, the government intends to end all sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, to help cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Petrol and diesel use internal combustion engines, which produce greenhouse gas (GHG) and particle emissions – causing climate change and damaging human health, respectively.
As of the end of September 2024, there are around 1.25 million fully electric cars in the UK – only 3.75 per cent of the 34 million cars on UK roads, says Zap-Map.
According to the National Grid, we can expect 10 million electric vehicles on UK roads by 2030, and as many as 30 million by 2040.
Carmakers including Aston Martin, Bentley, Range Rover and Toyota are among those making EVs in the UK, although most (80 per cent) are exported.
Volkswagen is being forced to close three of its factories and slash jobs, partly due to a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles. Pictured, employees load and unload Volkswagen cars at the plant’s premises in Zwickau, eastern Germany on October 28, 2024
‘The majority go to markets that are phasing out the sale of petrol and diesel cars and shifting to electric,’ said Colin Walker, head of transport at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).
‘If our car industry doesn’t alter production to match these trends, it faces a very uncertain future.’
A recent report by CBI Economics has found that failing to support the UK’s car industry in making the switch to electrification could see the its economic output fall by 73 per cent, or £34bn, with more than 400,000 jobs being lost.
What are the problems with EVs?
Just like any emerging technology, the transition to EVs is not without issues – not just the race to rollout charging infrastructure.
There are also concerns with the public about running out of charge during journeys, although research is looking at ways to prevent this.
Electric vehicles also don’t combat the issue of tyre wear, which causes tiny particles of rubber invisible to the naked eye that can enter our lungs.
In fact, rubber particle pollution could end up worse in EVs, as their tyres press harder against the road due to the vast weight of lithium ion batteries.
EVs have lower greenhouse gas emissions overall when compared with conventional cars, but there are some hidden environmental costs of an electric car
Rowan Atkinson, who bought his first electric hybrid 18 years ago and his first pure electric car nine years ago, has now said ‘electric motoring doesn’t seem to be quite the environmental panacea it is claimed to be’
Last year, actor and car enthusiast Rowan Atkinson ruffled feathers when he slammed electric motoring as not ‘the environmental panacea it is claimed to be’.
He alleged that EVs are powered by lithium ions batteries which require ‘many rare earth metals’ – although several scientists debunked the Mr Bean star’s claim.
Tom Stacey, an automotive industry expert at Anglia Ruskin University’s School of Economics, agreed there are no rare earth metals used in EV batteries, which instead use lithium, aluminium, nickel, manganese and cobalt.
‘The rare earths are a collection of non-abundant metals, of which there are some in the magnets of many electric motors, but none in the batteries of EVs,’ he told MailOnline.
Atkinson – who has a degree in electrical and electronic engineering – also said greenhouse gas emissions during production of an electric car are nearly 70 per cent higher than when manufacturing a petrol one.
However, academics cited research to MailOnline suggesting the actor got his facts wrong after basing them on unreliable sources.
A 2021 study by the International Council on Clean Transportation found battery-powered electric vehicles have by far the lowest greenhouse gas emissions over their entire lifecycle.
The following February, evidence submitted to the House of Lords claimed that Atkinson is partly to blame for ‘damaging’ public opinions on EVs.