Car-sharing platforms could help drivers access EVs 

In recent years, drivers have faced significant hurdles in purchasing an electric vehicle (EV). Rapid inflation and spiralling energy costs have made it difficult for many would-be owners to justify a purchase. This does not reflect a lack of demand: EY’s Mobility Consumer Index revealed in 2022 that 54% of UK drivers plan to switch to an EV ahead of the 2030 ban on sales of new vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE). Complicating matters is the decline in overall new vehicle sales—while around 230,000 new vehicles were registered in the UK in June 2019, the figure for the same month in 2023 was only 177,000.