The UK automotive industry now has until 2030 to reach government zero-carbon targets.
Ministers bring forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by five years; government investment for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and batteries announced in budget; huge increases in required battery capacity predicted by 2040. The UK automotive industry’s race towards a zero-carbon 2030 is underway. But with numbers of people driving EVs still below the required amount, what’s needed, now and next, if the UK is to meet its zero-carbon targets?
Government waved the chequered flag on 17 September last year, when ministers scrapped the previous 2030 deadline for banning the sale of new vehicles powered solely by petrol and diesel and announced £88m funding for new zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) technologies. Now, 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in the UK must be ZEVs by 2030, 100% by 2035. Towards the end of 2024, ministers also promised a review of the controversial...