SMMT report shows record year for carbon reduction

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The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)'s 22nd Sustainability Report reveals an 11.8 per cent reduction in fleet average carbon emissions in a single year.

Released yesterday, the report shows the impact of the pandemic on the automotive sector in the last year, with its overall turnover down by 24.6 per cent. Despite the stalling in economic progress, it reveals some promising findings regarding the sector’s sustainability efforts.

Electric vehicles accounted for more than one in ten registrations in 2020, with a 90 per cent increase in the number of plug-in hybrid vehicles alone. 

UK production of battery electric (BEV), plug-in-hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid vehicles (HEV) rose to 18.8 per cent of all cars made up last year, up from 14.8 per cent in 2019, with BEVs rising to a 4.5 per cent share up from 3.4 per cent.

The SMMT found that the vehicles are also being made more sustainably, with 14.2 per cent less energy and 36.8 per cent less water used on average per vehicle since 2000. Total combined waste to landfill was also down 98.7 per cent and CO2 equivalents per vehicle produced fell 36.5 per cent. 

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