Do you support the delay to the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars?
The motoring industry has been left ‘high and dry’ on the delay to the 2030 pledge, which was proposed and industry leaders have called for ‘clarity’ on what delaying the ban on petrol and diesel vehicles means for them.
Speaking in Downing Street on Wednesday, the Prime Minister confirmed the plans alongside a raft of changes to how the Government tackles greenhouse gas emissions.
Reacting to the news, Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, said: “The PM has left the industry and drivers high and dry by sacrificing the 2030 target on the altar of political advantage.
“According to our research, only half of people could see how an EV (electric vehicle) could fit into their lifestyle as it is, suggesting major barriers to adoption.
“We should be positively addressing concerns over affordability and charging rather than planting seeds of doubt.
“This announcement has only served to remove trust and confidence in the UK market.”
Another industry leader, the RAC Foundation, said the change contradicted the “huge sums of money” that the Government has already spent on electric battery production.
Steve Gooding, director of the transport research organisation, said: “It is hard to understand the rationale for the Prime Minister’s decision to delay the ban on sale of petrol and diesel cars by five years – what message does taking his foot off the gas in this way send to an auto industry that was confident of its ability to hit the 2030 deadline on the basis of a clear and consistent regulatory regime?
“Be they motorists or not, taxpayers might wonder how back-pedalling on the switch to electric cars can be consistent with the Government having put huge sums of public money on the table to support battery production.”
He said that RAC research estimated that if the UK is to meet its carbon reduction obligations then at least 37% of all miles driven by cars, taxis and vans will need to be zero emission by 2030.
“But with only 844,000 of the 33 million or so cars on the UK roads today being pure battery electric that means we have a mountain to climb”, he added.
It comes after Ford UK said earlier on Wednesday that the change “undermined ambition, commitment, and consistency”.
The chair Lisa Brankin said: “We need the policy focus trained on bolstering the EV market in the short term and supporting consumers while headwinds are strong: infrastructure remains immature, tariffs loom and cost-of-living is high.”
The RHA, which represents the interests of the haulage industry, said they needed “clarity, not delays” from the Government.
What are your views? Do you support the delay to the 2030 ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars by five years? Do you already own an Electric Vehicle?
