OUR MANIFESTO FOR ACHIEVING EV GOALS

If the Government is serious about phasing out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, this is what it should do, says Claire Evans

- Claire Evans

The Autumn Budget did very little to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles (EVs), and consequently won't make the UK's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate targets any more realistic.

Currently, the mandate states that fully electric cars should account for 22% of each manufacturer's sales in 2024, with that ramping up to 80% by 2030. However, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) forecasts that 363,000 new EVs will be registered by the end of 2024 - an improvement on 2023, but still representing just 18.7% of the market. This is not only bad news for the Government's environmental ambitions, but also for car makers, who face billions of pounds worth of fines if they fail to meet their EV sales targets over the next few years.

As we went to press, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds had just announced a fast-track consultation with car makers around potential changes to the ZEV Mandate, with a final decision due be reached in January. But Reynolds made clear that the 2030 target would not be watered down.

We await the outcome of the consultation, but in the meantime, we've come up with nine proposals that would give EVs wider appeal.

1 CLARIFY THE POSITION ON HYBRID AND PLUG-IN HYBRID CARS

The Government needs to make clear its position on hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) after 2030. While it has said it wants to phase out new cars and vans that rely solely on petrol or diesel engines by that year, the fact that the target for EV sales is 80% appears to give at least some hybrids a five-year grace period before they too will be banned.