Don't waver on electric car targets, energy firms urge

Major UK businesses including Ovo, SSE and BT Openreach are urging the government to stick to current electric car targets, as struggling carmakers pile pressure on ministers to relax the rules before industry talks.

- Jasper Jolly

The businesses said the zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which forces carmakers to sell greater numbers of electric cars each year, is an essential part of the plan to reduce the carbon and air pollution emissions caused by vehicles on Britain's roads.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, the BT subsidiary that builds broadband infrastructure, said the government needed to "cut through the noise and listen to businesses who are already investing large sums in the switch" when considering the future of the mandate.

"Don't waver on the ZEV mandate," Selley said. Carmakers, however, are increasingly vocal that the mandate needs to be watered down as their global profits come under pressure and sales of electric cars slow.