Latest figures from the Department for Transport show that the number of electric vehicles licensed in Harrogate has nearly doubled since 2019.
According to the data, the number registered in the district increased from 446 at the start of 2019 to 863 by the third quarter of 2020.
By comparison, the UK saw the number of vehicles licensed increase from 199,886 to 355,872.
It comes as the government is set to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
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Companies such as the Harrogate Bus Company and Verity Frearson have already invested in electric vehicles over the past year.
Last year, the bus company trialled an electric bus in Knaresborough in an effort to reduce carbon emissions in the town.
An electric bus run by Harrogate Bus Company.
Meanwhile, Verity Frearson unveiled five new electric vehicles for its fleet along with a charging point at its Albert Street office.
Matthew Stamford, director of the estate agents, said:
“The investment in these five vehicles contributes to our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and incorporating environmentally friendly practices into our business model.
“I’m delighted to unveil our electric fleet and proud to be championing the move which will hopefully encourage other businesses to follow suit, especially in light of the government’s decision to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030.
“Any vehicle we add to our fleet moving forward will be electric as it not only makes environmental sense, it makes financial sense too.”
However, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said private buyers would need stronger incentives to buy electric.
The society said last year saw the market share for battery and plug-in hybrid cars increase to 10.7%.
It said while the number of registrations for plug-ins had increased by 91%, the majority of them were for businesses.
A spokesperson for The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said:
“Encouragingly, there is room for further growth as most of these registrations (68%) were for company cars, indicating that private buyers need stronger incentives to make the switch, as well as more investment in charging infrastructure, especially public on-street charging.”
Earlier this month, Harrogate Borough Council revealed 34 locations where it will install electric vehicle charging points.
The locations include up to four charge points at the council’s Claro Road office, as well as up to five at its civic centre headquarters at Knapping Mount.
There will also be up to four at Harrogate’s multi-storey Victoria Shopping Centre car park and the same amount at Ripon Cathedral car park, plus a hub of charge points at Knaresborough Chapel Street car park.
