Following further details announced today by the UK Government around the UK's zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which will start in January 2024, Dominic Phinn, our Senior Policy Manager for Transport, comments:
“The government is giving with one hand and taking away with the other. Businesses have long called for clarity and certainty around the ZEV Mandate so they can get on with investing in electric cars and vans, but the decision to push back the phase-out date for the sale of petrol and diesel cars last week has undermined any enthusiasm businesses may have today for this announcement.
“While we are pleased to see that manufacturers will be mandated to ensure 80% of their sales of passenger cars are fully electric by 2030 as planned, it's disappointing to see that targets for vans have been lowered. The delay of the phase-out date undercuts the ability of businesses to confidently invest, and many were already having difficulty getting hold of electric vans - this won’t help them. The government needs to stop messing businesses around and deliver on its commitments to drive the EV transition as a necessary step in achieving net zero by 2050.”