Electric vehicles worth £9 billion to Midlands economy - report

Research by transport body Midlands Connect found that air quality improvements could be worth up to £1.5bn to the economy and the NHS.

The main benefits will be delivered after the phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030.

Midlands Connect claims the benefits of reducing carbon emissions and having cleaner air will result in £8.7bn of benefits to the region.

Massive benefits will start to be released by 2035 a few years after the proposed phasing out of petrol and diesel engines.

Emissions are estimated to fall from over 14 million tonnes of harmful chemicals like carbon dioxide per annum in 2023 to under 7m tonnes a year by 2050. This could be worth between £405m or up to £1.5bn.

Midlands Connect’s Supercharging the Midlands report 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 3,000 per cent by the end of the decade.

Midlands Connect's 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 their national framework for the rollout of electric vehicle infrastructure, the 2035 Delivery Plan for Transitioning to Net Zero report.

Bharat Pathania, technical innovation lead at Midlands Connect, said: "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. All in all this means less carbon dioxide and cleaner air which means a better economy.

“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.

“Midlands Connect has led the way on EV work and this analysis shows quicker uptake of EVs is win-win for everyone.”