Car dealerships with staff trained to provide buyers with quality advice on EVs to gain government stamp of approval
Car dealerships with staff who provide quality advice on electric vehicles to potential customers are to be formally approved and promoted by a new government-backed accreditation scheme announced today.
The initiative is a bid to boost consumer awareness and trust in buying greener cars, which currently only make up 0.9 per cent of the total UK car market.
Dealerships which are successful in gaining accreditation will be able to display 'Electric Vehicle Approved' branding as recognition for their commitment to training staff in EV selling and servicing skills, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.
It estimates that, by the end of this year, there could already be as many as 130 Electric Vehicle Approved sites across the UK.
Uncertainty and poor advice from car dealers on electric vehicles, as well as consumer 'range anxiety' over recharging infrastructure, have been seen as key barriers to sales growth. A study last year, which saw researchers pose as car shoppers in Scandinavia, found that sales people strongly pushed petrol and diesel cars to potential customers over EVs, with around 77 per cent of dealerships failing to even discuss the existence of electric car options.
The standard for EV dealer accreditation has been developed by the National Franchise Dealer Association (NFDA) and the Energy Saving Trust following a pilot scheme which saw the EV skills of 12 dealerships audited.
DfT minister Jesse Norman said the scheme will create a trusted brand to increase the confidence of drivers looking to buy an EV. "Record levels of ultra-low emission vehicles on our roads are good news, as we seek to end the sale of new conventional diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040," he said. "The accreditation recognises businesses with knowledge, capability and commitment to electric vehicles, and will help to encourage more car owners to switch to a greener alternative."
Driving up EV sales will become more important still if the government adopts a net zero emissions by 2050 target. Earlier this month the Committee on Climate Change told the government it would need to bring forward its planned fossil fuel car sales ban from 2040 to at least 2035 at the latest, if the UK is to achieve the higher target.
In related news, DfT also today announced funding awards worth £25m towards a range of zero emission transport innovations, with 22 projects securing backing from quick-charging electric motorbike prototypes to low emission agricultural vehicles.
Other projects gaining funding from include a feasibility study into the potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology for utility and off-road vehicles, as well as R&D work looking at the replacement of metals with new materials using recycled carbon fibres from aviation waste.