If the United Kingdom is to achieve the ambitious targets set for reductions in the emission of greenhouse gases, which requires an 80% reduction in territorial emissions by 2050, the transport sector will likely need to undergo a complete decarbonisation process. If we assume that a mass modal shift to public and active transport is unlikely to occur, then a transition to zero emission vehicles to replace the current stock of cars represents a fundamental requirement to realising this objective.
This transition is currently being framed in terms of the mass adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs), which are expected to diffuse through the car fleet over the next 20 years. Currently, we are at the beginning of this diffusion process, with the number of EVs which are currently registered for use of UK roads being low in comparison to the overall size of the fleet. However, charting the early stage of the diffusion process might offer insights regarding what areas tend to be early adopters of clean technology and the degree to which the diffusion of EVs follows that of past advanced propulsion system technologies (such as Hybrid Electric Vehicles). This final issue could be of use when considering the likely indicators of the diffusion of future propulsion systems (such as Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles).
The map below charts the rate of EV uptake across all of the local authorities of the UK. It notes the current level of EV registrations per 10,000 cars and clearly shows that certain areas are more advanced in their EV adoption than others.
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