Sales of new battery electric vehicles have hit a record high in Northern Ireland

Sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have hit a record high in Northern Ireland with over 6,000 sold in the last 12 months – up by 77%.

According to figures from the Department for Transport there were 13,818 BEVs on the road in Northern Ireland in Q3 2023, up from 7,817 in Q3 2022.

Mark McCall, chair of the Electric Vehicle Association Northern Ireland (EVANI), said: "The latest figures from the Department of Transport show that battery electric vehicles numbers grew by 77% between Q3 2022 and Q3 2023. Overall 6,001 new electric cars were bought in Northern Ireland from August 2022 to August 2023.

"EV uptake is growing steadily here and you can't fail to notice more and more green number plates as you drive around."While there are still challenges around public charging, things are starting to improve as we've seen many new rapid chargers installed in the last nine months."Our recent survey showed that NI's EV drivers are delighted with their vehicles with just 1.7% saying they would definitely not buy an EV next time."

However despite the increase, officials within the motor industry remain concerned over the lack of future planning within Northern Ireland.

Today (Wednesday) the The Zero Emission Vehicle mandate was implemented across Great Britain. However, due to Stormont not sitting, legislators have been unable to push through the legislation that surrounds the mandate in Northern Ireland.

Reflecting on the impact of the ZEV mandate, Sue Robinson, chief executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) which represents car and commercial retailers across the UK, explained: “NFDA remains extremely concerned about the state of the electric vehicle public charging network in the province of Northern Ireland.

"NI currently has less than 1% of the UK’s total charging points with an alarming proportion of these being antiquated and unreliable. This has restricted EV uptake severely, with Northern Ireland still having the lowest electric vehicle registration figures out of the four major regions. This has been an issue which NFDA-NI has strongly advocated for progress on.”

Of the 13,862 battery electric vehicles (BEV) on the road in Northern Ireland there are only 445 chargers according to Zapmap. This equates to one charger per 31 battery electric vehicles compared to Scotland which has a charger to BEV ratio of 1:12 and Wales which has a ratio of 1:8. This demonstrates how charging infrastructure in Northern Ireland is currently lagging behind other regions in the UK.

Sue continued: “For every day that the ZEVM is not implemented in Northern Ireland there is a cause for concern that the region is falling further behind the rest of the UK in its EV transition and risks being a region which attracts older ICE vehicles, thus impacting their own net-zero targets.

“However, NFDA-NI cautions Stormont around rushing through the legislation without adequate warning for the industry. Dealers will require sufficient time in sourcing the necessary stock to meet thresholds specified by the ZEV mandate.”

Agreeing Mark added: "The ZEV mandate brings certainty around sales of new electric vehicles that will allow charge point operators to plan their investment and build out the public network over the coming years.

"This will help to accelerate the electrification of transport, reducing our emissions whilst improving air quality. It's important therefore that the Assembly votes through the ZEV mandate on its return, as Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where it is currently not in force. We also need to see DfE and the Utility Regulator working to modernise connection pricing regulations here, to help reduce costs for car dealerships installing chargers as we transition."

Sue concluded: “When Stormont does eventually return, the ZEVM is expected to pass through the Assembly.”

Separate figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) say from January to August 2023, there were 31,574 new cars registered in Northern Ireland, an increase of 17.4%. That was a healthier increase than in Scotland and Wales, although England was pulling ahead with growth of 21%. And the Hyundai Tucson is Northern Ireland’s favourite car of 2023, followed by the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage in second and third place.