Electric car sales soar, but chip shortage hits market

Sales of electric vehicles soared last year, but the market as a whole failed to recover from the Covid pandemic.

More electric cars were registered in 2021 than in the previous five years combined, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Yet the industry body said much more investment is needed in charging infrastructure.

Meanwhile an acute shortage of computer chips left dealers struggling to get hold of many new conventional models.

Overall, 2021 was another dismal year for the motor industry. Preliminary figures from the SMMT show that some 1.65m cars new cars were registered.

That was a small increase over 2020, when the impact of the first Covid-related lockdowns and dealer closures sent sales plummeting.

But it was still the second-worst figure recorded in nearly three decades, and 28% down on its pre-pandemic level.

Despite the problems affecting the market as a whole, registrations of electric cars rose more than 75%, from 108,000 in 2020 to 191,000 last year.

In December, they accounted for one in every four cars sold, while the second-best selling car in the country during the year was Tesla's electric Model 3.

Electric car sales soar, but chip shortage hits market

News Articles

Address

Contact

Social

More Information