NAA Update: Electric vehicle registrations rose 44.5% in July, with electric van registrations up 74.1%
EV registrations rose 44.5% in July, with electric van registrations up 74.1%, while £130 million in matched government-industry investment from the DRIVE35 programme has also been announced.
Welcome to this month’s newsletter; I hope you are all keeping well and that you had a relaxing summer break.
Starting with some positive news, the latest SMMT figures for July’s automotive market showed encouraging momentum, with electric vehicle registrations rising 44.5% and electric van registrations up 74.1%, supported by more than 170 car and 40 van EV models now available. The used EV market is also gaining pace, with battery electric vehicles accounting for more than one in 18 used car transactions, up from one in 30 a year earlier.
While challenges remain around consumer demand, charging infrastructure and regulation, industry investment in decarbonisation of the sector continues at scale, with the latest announcement of nearly £130 million in matched government-industry investment from the DRIVE35 programme that will support cutting-edge zero emission vehicle technology and secure high-value jobs, reflecting UK Automotive’s strategic importance. The long overdue ZEV Mandate review has also been announced, with the consultation open for responses until mid-October – further details can be found here.
High energy costs are another major challenge for our sector, with small businesses in the UK paying nearly 40% more per kilowatt-hour than their EU counterparts. The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS), recently launched by the government, is designed to reduce electricity costs for eligible UK manufacturers by removing selected policy costs and NAA member Businesswise Solutions, our chosen energy partner, has an exclusive offer of support for other NAA members to navigate this scheme – further details can be found here
Another area that businesses in our sector are finding challenging is recruitment. We’re pleased to announce that Hereward Manger Group (HMG) has been appointed as our exclusive recruitment partner. HMG is a specialist recruitment firm serving the automotive sector, covering executive search, interim management and fractional leadership, alongside market mapping and commercial intelligence – further details can be found here
Moving on to the membership side, we would like to welcome five new members:
Addison Precision – Manufacturing across a wide range of market sectors, the company provides comprehensive precision engineering and precision manufacturing services, delivering high-quality components and assemblies to the most demanding specifications and tolerances.
AFD Systems – A market-leading engineering and manufacturing business specialising in advanced mechanical design, structural analysis and polymer additive manufacturing, delivering turn-key solutions to complex engineering problems.
M-Sport UK – A World Championship winning Motorsport Engineering Company. The UK base has grown with the development of the M-Sport Evaluation Centre. The multi-million-pound facility located in Cumbria includes a 2.5-kilometre test track and provides a unique centre of engineering excellence where leaders in automotive technology can follow concepts from design to production on one exclusively situated and expertly equipped site.
PARC AI – A parking AI company that works directly with OEMs to make all of their cars on the road a smart AI car.
Wilson Gunn LLP – Established in Manchester in 1864, Wilson Gunn has been helping businesses to protect their intellectual property for over 160 years, specialising in all aspects of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, designs and copyright with a particular expertise in the automotive sector.
We will be hearing more from these members in the coming months.
Paul Jones
NAA CEO
