The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Auto Trader and ChargeUK launched a joint EV facts initiative in the week before 22 November 2024, the SMMT said in an update published on that date1. The partnership is intended to provide what the SMMT describes as a balanced, data-backed view of electric vehicle motoring, with simplified and user-friendly information1.
The SMMT said the initiative responds to the spread of false narratives about electric vehicles, which it stated seven in 10 people are aware of, and which it said have real impacts on EV uptake1. The body also cited existing ownership figures: more than a million Britons have already invested in an EV, and around nine in 10 of them do not intend to go back1.
The SMMT set the initiative in the context of its wider position on the zero emission vehicle transition, arguing that regulation forcing supply without measures to stimulate demand could undermine the UK's automotive manufacturing base1. It listed fiscal incentives for EV purchases, widely accessible and affordable public charging, and lower energy costs as fundamental to driving demand1. The SMMT said it is working urgently with government to identify any regulatory adjustments necessary to drive zero emission vehicle uptake to meet targets1.
The published material does not give the launch date of the initiative beyond "this week", nor does it set out the specific content, funding or governance of the initiative, or any targets for it. Those details have not been reported1.
Why it matters for households
For a household weighing up an electric vehicle, the practical questions are usually cost, charging access and running costs, and the SMMT's stated priorities map onto those: purchase incentives, public charging that is accessible and affordable, and lower energy costs1. The initiative itself is an information exercise rather than a change to any of those costs or to the ev-charging infrastructure a home would rely on.
The relevance to household energy independence is indirect. An electric vehicle only shifts a home further from petrol and diesel if charging is practical where the car is parked, and the SMMT's reference to widely accessible and affordable public charging points to that gap rather than closing it1. The ownership figures cited, more than a million UK EV owners and around nine in 10 saying they would not return to a non-electric car, describe the experience of households that have already made the switch, not the terms on which others would1.
What happens next
The SMMT said it is working urgently with government to identify regulatory adjustments needed to drive zero emission vehicle uptake to meet targets1. No date, timetable or outcome for that work is given in the published material1.