UK factories turned out a record 234,066 battery electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) electric vehicles, with total BEV production increasing by 4.8 percent. Boosting the output of these vehicles will be critical in the attainment of net zero, for both the UK and major overseas markets.
The figures come as fresh SMMT analysis confirms the increasingly important role of electrified vehicle production to the UK economy, especially the value of exports. Since 2017, the value of BEV, PHEV and HEV exports has risen seven-fold, from £1.3 billion to more than £10 billion. As a result, electrified vehicles represent 44.7 percent of the value of all UK car exports, up from a mere 4.1 percent. BEVs, in particular, are critical to the future prosperity of the UK, with their export value up more than 1,500 percent, from £81.7 million to £1.3 billion.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said that the potential for the EV sector “to deliver economic growth by building more of these zero emission models is self-evident, however, we must make the right decisions now. This means shaping a strategy to drive rapid upscaling of UK battery production and the shift to electric vehicles based on the UK automotive sector’s fundamental strengths – a highly skilled and flexible workforce, engineering excellence, technical innovation and productivity levels that are amongst the best in Europe.”
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