Electric car ranges have tripled over the past decade Business

The average battery-powered car can now travel almost 260 miles on a single charge after an “electric decade” in which ranges have tripled and the number of vehicles available has increased nearly 15 times.

An electric car in the UK has an average battery range of 257 miles compared to 74 miles in 2011, according to industry trade body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Britain’s first consumer electric car was the Nissan Leaf, produced at the company’s factory in Sunderland, which debuted in 2011 with a range of 73 miles. Today, Nissan’s equivalent model can travel 226 miles on a single charge, while the Mercedes EQS 450+ has a range of up to 450 miles.

Between 2011 and 2021, the number of plug-in electric and hybrid cars sold increased from 1,082 to over 190,000. the SMMT has labeled the UK “electric decade”, with more than four in 10 cars on the market now being sold with a plug.

Boris Johnson is pushing ahead with plans to ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and end hybrid sales by 2035 to achieve ambitious net zero targets.

But as manufacturers invest in the development of battery-powered vehicles, drivers are disappointed by the limited number of public chargers on UK roads, the SMMT said.

There are more than 30,000 public charging stations available according to data from the Ministry of Transport, up by a third in one year. The government wants to have 300,000 available by the end of the decade.

However, automakers fear that a lack of fast-charging stations, particularly in areas like Northern Ireland and the North West of England, will deter drivers from buying electric or hybrid models. The North West has 5.9 fast chargers per 100,000 people compared to 111 in London.

As energy prices rise, affordability is also a concern, with private charging networks often requiring far more energy than can be obtained at home at a good rate.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “The UK has an ambitious timetable to achieve net zero and road transport must shoulder the greatest burden to achieve this goal. The industry is up to the challenge, but we need all stakeholders, including government, charging station providers and energy companies, to deliver on the manufacturers’ commitment by providing the right incentives and l competitive infrastructure that guarantees a zero-emission future.