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The UK government is due to weaken electric car sales targets, from 80% of all new cars sold in the UK needing to be zero emission by 2030, to as low as 50%.
The industry – including car makers and charging companies – needs long-term clarity, and this represents yet another change of government policy that will impact on investment plans.
The big picture is that action needs to be taken to combat climate change, as well as the very overlooked issue of air pollution. And from the perspective of motorists, electric cars are much better to drive than petrol and diesel cars, as well as delivering much lower running costs for most people. Therefore electric cars are a much more sensible solution, and they remain the future (as well as the present).
Electric car sales have been increasing at an impressive rate but progress towards the existing ZEV Mandate targets has, officially, been falling behind in terms of the sales needed each year, but with the flexibilities in the system, the targets have actually been met over previous years.
However the significant fines imposed on manufacturers for not meeting the targets, when other factors may influence people’s car buying decisions, is a fair source of contention. The SMMT – which represents manufacturers who are on different approaches to the EV transition – has also been complaining about unsustainable discounting on EV sales for a long time.
This decision risks creating more confusion for UK motorists about whether their next car should be an EV, as well as for global car companies planning their models for the UK market. We are now entering a period when manufacturers who have had the vision to invest in the development of electric cars will enjoy the market advantage – and that includes many Chinese brands (China has viewed the move to electric cars as offering economic benefit). However the charging industry, which has invested ahead, based on projected EV uptake, has been subjected to changing government policy around EVs for many years, and is now likely to suffer further.
Any consultation about these plans will no doubt generate a lot of heated debate, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out if there’s a change in leadership at the top of the government, where decision-making has been a key issue.
But in the meantime it’s essential to communicate the benefits of EVs to UK car buyers so motorists make the shift regardless of government targets – see the amazing range of electric cars on offer here.
Paul Clarke
Green Car Guide Editor
