The UK government is consulting on plans to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, aiming to boost electric vehicle adoption.
London: So, the UK government is kicking off a consultation about getting rid of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. They had pushed the deadline to 2035 before, but Labour wants to bring it back to 2030. Sounds like a big shift, right?
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is reaching out to car and charging experts to figure out how to make this happen. There’s been some back and forth between the government and the car industry about moving to electric vehicles, so this consultation is meant to clear things up.
Ford has been pretty vocal about this, saying the government’s push for more electric cars isn’t working without actual demand. Lisa Brankin from Ford UK mentioned on the radio that they really need some government incentives to get people excited about electric vehicles.
Heidi acknowledged that the car industry has been a bit lost lately, lacking direction. She’s determined to change that. The consultation will also look at updating the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, which sets targets for how many zero-emission cars manufacturers need to sell each year.
Interestingly, over two-thirds of car makers in the UK, like Stellantis, are on board with going fully electric by 2030. But it’s not all smooth sailing; there have been job cuts in the industry, partly due to these new targets.
The Department for Transport believes this consultation will help manufacturers and the charging industry feel more confident about investing in the UK. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinks the UK can hit its targets by counting credits from lower-emission hybrids along with fully electric cars.
Last month, electric vehicles made up one in four cars sold in the UK, which is pretty impressive. Drivers are really getting into EVs faster than expected. The government is also looking to make charging these cars easier and cheaper, which is a win for everyone.