Consultation started on phasing out petrol cars

A consultation has been launched on phasing out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

The government says this will “restore clarity” to automakers and the charging industry.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander wants industry views from automotive and charging experts on how to meet Labour’s manifesto commitment to restore the 2030 deadline.

Under the previous Conservative government it was extended to 2035.

The move comes amid a dispute between the government and the industry over the phasing out of sales of new petrol and diesel cars.

Last month, Ford said the UK government’s mandate is to produce and sell more electric vehicles (EVs). Without demand “just doesn’t work”.,

Lisa Brankin, chairman and managing director of Ford UK, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The one thing we really need is a government-backed incentive to drive the uptake of electric vehicles immediately.”

The Transport Secretary said the automotive industry has been “stymied by a lack of certainty and direction” over the past few years.

“This government will change that,” he said.

The consultation proposes an update to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which sets the percentage of new zero emission cars and vans that manufacturers will be required to sell each year until 2030.

More than two-thirds of carmakers in the UK, including Stellantis, have committed to transitioning to fully electric cars by that year.

However, companies have also announced thousands of job cuts, Partly due to EV goals,

The Department for Transport said the consultation will “restore clarity to vehicle manufacturers and the charging industry” so they can have “confidence to invest in the UK in the long term and drive growth in the UK automotive industry”.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think tank said the UK would meet its targets because the mandate takes into account credits earned from the sale of low-emission hybrid petrol and diesel vehicles, as well as fully electric vehicles.

According to the think tank, the 22% to be achieved by each manufacturer is to be achieved as an average across the industry.

Last month, one in four cars sold in the UK was an EV, Ms Alexander said, adding that drivers are “already adopting EVs faster than ever before”.

“Today’s measures will help us support thousands of jobs, make the UK a clean energy superpower and capitalize on the clean energy transition to rebuild Britain,” he said.

The government said the consultation would also be part of a “broader effort” to make it easier and cheaper to charge electric cars.

There are now more than 72,000 public charging points in the UK, with another 100,000 planned by local authorities across England.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, an automotive industry body, said the automotive industry welcomed both the government’s “review of the sale date for cars running solely on petrol or diesel and the potential change to the flexibility”. ” Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate”.

“Both of these are important issues for an industry that faces significant challenges globally as it tries to decarbonize ahead of natural market demand,” he said.

Mr Hawes said: “The market looks to be under even more pressure by 2025, so it is vital that we get an urgent solution, with a clear intention to adapt regulation to support deliveries that stimulate demand. be supported by bold incentives to do.”