UK Deliveries of EV and Hybrid Vehicles Shoot Up

­Electric and hybrid vehicles are experiencing an unprecedented boom period. The combination of tax incentives, government regulations, and self-imposed EV mandates at leading automakers has been paydirt for EVs and HEVs, in few places greater than the UK.

While the UK doesn’t lead the globe in EV sales and adoption (Norway, Sweden, and China outpace them), but they’re definitely up there, and new car registration data bears that out.

While UK deliveries of both petrol and diesel cars declined precipitously in May – down -12.5% and -15.5%, respectively – hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are surging.

In May, HEV registrations grew by 6.8% to 20,351 units, PHEVs went up 50.8% to 17,898, and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose by 25.8%, all of these electrified vehicles combining for a 47.3% market share.

Although, as Electric Car Report points out, BEVs’ 20.9% market share still falls short of the 28% mandated by regulation.

And as some are pointing out, manufacturer discounting isn’t a permanent solution.

“A return to growth for new car registrations in May is welcome but manufacturer discounting on new products continues to underpin the market, notably for electric vehicles. This cannot be sustained indefinitely as it undermines the ability of companies to invest in new product development,” said Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Many in the industry are calling for more robust government incentives.