Are Electric car sales forecasts 'wildly optimistic'

Don't believe the hype because Govt ministers were misled by “wildly optimistic” forecasts from car manufacturers, a leading civil servant has claimed.

Richard Bruce, head of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, said “miscalculations” by car companies led to official projections of a surge in demand for green cars which has not yet materialised.

The inaccurate calculations led to the provision of a £400 million package to encourage the take-up of electric cars, including £5,000 grants for motorists buying the vehicles, but the funding pot has since been lowered to £230 million amid lower than anticipated interest.

Demand also suffered initially because of the small range of electric vehicles which did not cater for the needs of all motorists, but this problem is disappearing as more models come to market, he said.

Mr Bruce added that “hostility” from the media, including a report highlighting the disparity between government projections and actual sales, was also a “significant issue” for the sector, while many consumers still have “range anxiety” despite improvements in the battery life of vehicles and the provision of more than 6,000 charging points across the UK.

tittle tattle :(