Green Machines | Government push to go electric, BYD's ‘Super Hybrids’ and more! – sustainability news February 2026

Following last year’s introduction of the Electric Car Grant (ECG), the government says 50,000 buyers have now used the incentive to get up to £3,750 off an eligible electric vehicle. To encourage even more people to take advantage of the scheme, the government has recently launched a campaign calling on buyers to ‘Get that electric feeling’, which suggests drivers could save up to £1,400 a year by making the switch.
To support this activity the government has also reiterated its pledge to make charging easier. It plans to reform planning regulations so more people without a private driveway can install a home charger while also providing additional funding. Additionally, it says we can expect 100,000 new public chargers to be installed over the coming years. According to charge point mapping service, Zapmap, there are now over 87,000 public chargers in the UK. However, last year less new charging stations were installed than in 2024 and a recent report in the Financial Times suggests at the current roll out rate, the government is likely to miss its minimum target to have 250,000 public chargers by 2030.

In more encouraging news, the charging network provider Ionity recently opened its 700th charging station in the UK and it plans to have 1,000 points by the end of the year. Ionity is a joint venture with investors including BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Group. It operates around 5,000 charging points across Europe and has been present in the UK since 2017. Ionity currently provides ultra-rapid charging stations at 75 locations across the country and has 12 more sites set to open soon.

Yet many car buyers unable to charge at home remain cautious about going fully electric. As a result, we’re seeing more manufactures offering new plug-in hybrid solutions to bridge the gap. In 2025, plug-in hybrid registrations increased by nearly 35 per cent as drivers take a first step to electrification but with the reassurance of having an engine as a back-up. Several Chinese brands have seen the growing interest in plug-in hybrids as opportunity to grow their brands in the UK by introducing ‘Super Hybrid’ technology. This combines a petrol engine with an electric motor and a large battery which allows the cars to run in pure electric mode for longer than many rivals. You can plug these models in but if you don’t have easy access to charging the engine works as a generator to top-up the battery. These systems provide an EV-esque driving experience for most of the time, but if you need an urgent burst of power the engine can also drive the wheels directly. While the tech is complicated, the cars do all the work to calculate the most efficient combination of engine and motor, so you can just sit back and drive. Models like the Geely Starray EM-i, BYD Sealion 5 and Chery Tiggo 7 all feature similar powertrains which claim to provide around 600 miles of range from one tank of fuel.

Global Women in EV Day

This year marks the launch of the Global Women in EV Day, an international movement aimed to address the underrepresentation of women across the EV sector and among EV drivers. To put this into some context, women currently hold 49 per cent of UK driving licences, yet according to data from YouGov only one-third of EV drivers are female and Autotrader’s own No Driver Left Behind report highlights 29 per cent of women surveyed said they “just don’t know enough about electric vehicles”. Meanwhile, at industry level EngineeringUK reports women make up just under 16 per cent of the UK engineering and technology workforce. There is clearly work to be done to support women in the electric transition. Speaking ahead of the inaugural Global Women in EV Day on 10 February, the movement’s founder, Gill Nowell, said: “The transition to electric mobility gives us a once-in-a-generation chance to build a fairer, more inclusive industry - but only if we choose to design it that way. Global Women in EV Day is about visibility, momentum and action. It’s about recognising the women already driving this transition, and making sure the next generation sees that they belong here too.” Global Women in EV Day will be supported by founding partners including Autotrader, Octopus Electroverse and ZapMap which have all pledged to support the campaign.

Electric vans are making their zero-emissions presence felt at major UK airports, including Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham. Swissport, a leading aviation servicing company, has commissioned Mercedes-Benz Vans to supply a fleet of 33 bespoke electric and low-emission vans built specifically for airside operations. The specially converted eCitan and eSprinter vans feature a range of clever features such as multi-compartment cargo boxes for safely transporting catering waste, storage for maintenance equipment and seats for transporting ground staff. The idea is that these vans will allow crew and equipment to be moved around aircraft during time-critical turnarounds, reducing delays and (most importantly) cutting down emissions. Iain Forsyth, Managing Director at Mercedes-Benz Vans in the UK, said: “This shows how Mercedes-Benz Vans has the backs of customers operating in challenging, highly pressurised environments. We worked in partnership with Swissport so they’re able to meet strict operational and safety requirements, while also supporting long-term sustainability ambitions.” Karen Cox, CEO of Swissport, added: “These vehicles are an important part of our contribution to Swissport’s industry-leading sustainability strategy – combining cutting-edge technology with the operational excellence our customers depend on every day.”

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