The drive towards electric vehicles is gaining momentum in Mendip, with the number of electric cars increasing by 50% last year, new data reveals.

The UK Government's target is to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2030, with the goal for battery-electric vehicles to constitute all car sales by 2035.

However, some industry experts voice concerns over the pace of adoption being insufficient to meet these ambitious objectives.

According to the Department for Transport, at the end of last year, Mendip saw 841 battery-electric cars registered, marking a significant rise from 557 the previous year.

This growth reflects the broader national trend, where 629,000 battery-electric cars were licensed at the end of 2022, a 66% increase from 379,000 at the end of 2021.

Despite these encouraging numbers, Ian Plummer, Commercial Director at Auto Trader, warns that the current rate of adoption isn't sufficient to meet the UK Government's 2030 targets.

He said: "The uptake is positive and moving in the right direction, but it's not where we need to be if we're to meet the Government's admirable, but ambitious 2030 targets."

He added "substantial measures to support the market", such as cutting VAT on public chargers, should be introduced to further encourage buyers.

"To reach the Government's goal, the focus needs to be on converting the masses and making EVs more accessible across different demographics," he said.

His statement comes amidst a reported decrease in interest in brand-new electric vehicles on Auto Trader's online platform.

In addition to battery-electric cars, plug-in hybrid vehicles also witnessed an uptick in Mendip last year.

The district saw 420 hybrid petrol and diesel cars registered, up from 346 in 2021.

Jack Cousens, Head of Roads Policy for the AA, is optimistic about the growth of electric vehicles.

"The growing number of vehicles that come with a plug shows that the appetite for electric vehicles is steadily growing," he said. "Continued growth in the public charging network, improved single-charge distances and more models available at more affordable price points could mean the number of battery electric cars breaks the 1 million mark this year."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department for Transport said the government has committed over £2bn to support the transition to electric vehicles.

"The statistics speak for themselves – more people than ever are buying electric vehicles and we've put more than £2bn into helping them do so," she said.

"This includes our £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund to support the rollout of chargepoints across the country, and we are also working closely with industry to make sure electric vehicles are an attractive choice for everyone as sales grow."