More Government support and public exposure to EVs needed, Polestar UK boss says

Matt Galvin said Government incentives were needed for the industry, but helping the public to ‘re-gear’ its thinking around the tech would aid sales.

Polestar 4 electric vehicle (Polestar)

More Government incentives and exposing more people to the technology around electric cars are key to growing the sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK, the UK boss of Polestar has said.

Matt Galvin said the UK was not currently doing enough to encourage people to transition away from petrol and diesel cars.

The managing director of the UK arm of the Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer said the firm was also looking to increase its retail footprint in the UK to try to expose more people to EVs in order to answer questions they had about them and showcase how far the technology around charging has advanced.

The automotive manufacturers are doing all they can to reduce the cost of manufacturing and therefore pass on those savings to the customer in terms of incentives

Matt Galvin, Polestar

In September, a new body called Electric Vehicles UK was formed to combat what it called “misinformation” around owning an EV, saying there was “a clear disconnect” between some perceptions of electric motoring and the “lived experience”.

On more Government support for the industry, Mr Galvin told the PA news agency: “UK markets are the worst supported in Europe for any government incentives to help people transition from a petrol or diesel engine to an EV powertrain, and we really do need now for the Government to step up, and I’m calling for the Government to step up and assist not just Polestar but the wider automotive industry, to help customers make that switch.

“I firmly believe that the automakers have made big steps forward in quite a short space of time to lower the cost of buying an electric car – they’re still quite expensive, let’s be honest, but the automotive manufacturers are doing all they can to reduce the cost of manufacturing and therefore pass on those savings to the customer in terms of incentives.

“We at Polestar have recently launched a 0% finance campaign across all of our range, so I feel that we’re doing our bit, but there isn’t the carrot coming from the Government for people to make that change.

“That carrot needs to come in the form of maybe halving VAT on all new electric cars, and certainly levelling that VAT on public charging – taking VAT down to 5% in line with domestic charging – that would also be a welcome step forward.”

He added that “more needs to be done” around public charging infrastructure to help people get over so-called “charging anxiety” – the uncertainty about when and where a user can charge their EV, which he said had replaced older fears about the range of electric cars.

“I don’t think it’s so much range anxiety that’s the issue, it’s charging anxiety. It’s ‘if I’m caught out, where can I charge? Is it easy? Am I going to be stuck there for hours waiting?’,” he said.

“I think we all just need to re-gear our minds a little bit to be open to this new technology – because for the majority of people that (drive) eight to 10 thousand miles a year, they probably need to charge the car once a week because ranges have got much better.”

The technology now is so much better, and it's one of those things where, until you've experienced it and lived it, it's difficult to get your head around

Matt Galvin, Polestar

It was in this area in particular that Mr Galvin highlighted how technology was helping to boost the appeal of electric cars.

The version of Google Maps used in Polestar’s vehicles automatically plots any required charging stops for users into planned routes, and can even be customised to allow drivers to set a battery charge level they would like to have in the car when they arrive at their destination.

Mr Galvin said this ever-improving technology was a “super important point” to make around EV ownership because it “makes it nearly foolproof”.

“The Google integration and the Polestar product certainly means you haven’t got to think about it – the car works it all out for you, even telling you if charging stations are available or working,” he told PA, adding that it was the key goal of the firm to expose more people to what EVs can do.

“The technology now is so much better, and it’s one of those things where, until you’ve experienced it and lived it, it’s difficult to get your head around,” Mr Galvin said.

“We run lots of test drive events all around the country to try and expose that experience to as many people as possible, because I firmly believe that once you’ve tried it, and you’ve experienced the savings that go with it – maintenance costs are much narrower for electric cars and if you can charge at home, the cost of fuelling is significantly cheaper than a petrol or diesel car – then actually, it becomes quite a compelling argument.

“One of the big projects we’re embarking on this year and next year is we have the ambition to double the size of our retail footprint in the UK, so we’re going to go from eight or nine spaces to 17 or 18 spaces.

“But we’re still a very small brand – we’re not BMW or Tesla – but we’ve got big aspirations to grow and grow quickly, and we need to do that by educating people, we need to do that by giving people the experience that Polestar offers, which is quite unique.

“We need to be able to convey these positive messages about our brand, but also how easy it is to live with an electric car.”

He added that the idea that EVs were more technologically advanced than petrol or diesel cars was a “marketing theme”, and one he felt was “positive”.

“Technology is advancing at a fast pace and it’s advancing in a way that’s helping all of our lives in terms of day-to-day ease of things, getting places… and actually, the way we power and fuel our cars is developing quickly, and so is the technology that helps you to live with that car,” Mr Galvin said.

“And I think that’s an important point, because you couldn’t have an electric car without the backup of the technology.

“Having an electric car is one thing, but if you don’t know when or where to charge it and that becomes a headache, you’re going to fall out of love with it quite quickly aren’t you? So the two are married quite well together.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting drivers and manufacturers as we phase out the sale of new cars that rely solely on internal combustion engines by 2030.

“There are already a range of incentives to help people switch and we will continue to work with industry on supporting continued demand.”