How EVs could be part of answer to UK’s fuel reserve worries

Analysis How EVs could be part of answer to UK’s fuel reserve worries Alex Daniel More use of two-way charging will earn money for owners and could avoid the need to expand North Sea oil drilling The Iran war has sent petrol and diesel prices to their highest levels in years, sparked warnings of fuel rationing across Europe and triggered calls for Britain to drill more North Sea oil and gas . But analysis suggests the UK is looking for solutions in the wrong places – and that one of them is sitting on people’s driveways or parked in the street. If more drivers switched electric vehicles, Britain would sharply reduce its petrol and diesel consumption, with every car charged from the grid rather than the pump extending the country’s fuel reserves – and experts say the potential impact goes far beyond that. Before the war, the UK had about three weeks’ worth of car fuel in reserve: 21 days of petrol and 22 days of diesel, according to official data analysed by the policy consultancy Mandala Partners. That reserve could reach an extra seven days of petrol if Britain had as many electric cars per head as Norway, the world leader . Nearly 32% of all cars on Norwegian roads are fully electric, compared with 5.4% in Britain. Even now, Britain’s existing electric and hybrid cars are saving about two days’ worth of fuel, the researchers estimated. That figure underlines the size of the opportunity at a time when Shell’s chief executive, Wael Sawan, said on Wednesday that Europe could face fuel shortages as soon as April if the strait of Hormuz, the key shipping lane in the Gulf, remained closed . The gap between the countries is doubly striking because Norway presents bigger challenges for EV drivers. It is the longest country in Europe, with freezing winters that can sap battery life. But any lingering range anxiety has been quelled by a dense, state-backed and commercial charging network. Britain, by comparison, has fewer such excuses, the researchers said. “Those arguing o...