Midlands Connect says accelerating EV uptake is a win-win

Research by Sub-national Transport Body Midlands Connect suggests reduced carbon emissions and cleaner air resulting from a quicker uptake of electric vehicles in the region could be worth nearly £9bn to the Midlands’ economy.

The ‘massive’ £8.7bn benefits will start to be released by 2035 a few years after the proposed phasing out of petrol and diesel engine vehicles.

A decline in transport emissions are estimated to fall from over 14m tonnes of harmful chemicals like CO2 per annum in 2023 to under 7m tonnes per annum by 2050. This could be worth between £405m or up to £1.5bn.

The findings follow the publication of Midlands Connect’s landmark report ‘Supercharging the Midlands’, which investigated the future of EVs in the Midlands and advocated for more EV charge points across the region. It found that EV use in the Midlands was projected to increase by over 3000% by the end of the decade.

Midlands Connects’ report set out three scenarios for EV uptake in the region, with low medium and high uptake. The upper end of these scenarios have now been used by the Department for Transport in its national framework for the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, the 2035 Delivery Plan for Transitioning to Net Zero report.

Bharat Pathania, Technical Innovation Lead at Midlands Connect, commented, “By reducing the number of petrol vehicles on our roads and swapping to healthier options like EVs, we can enjoy cleaner air across the Midlands.

“This isn’t just a health thing – it’s a massive economic thing too – it’s worth up to £1.5 billion for the NHS and nearly £9 billion for the Midlands’ economy.

“This analysis shows quicker uptake of EVs is win-win for everyone.”