Relaxing electric vehicle (EV) targets could delay up to £1.56bn worth of UK home charger sales and installations, a trade body has warned.
Officially introduced on 1 January 2024, the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate is a series of targets to ramp up the number of EVs sold annually, until traditional internal combustion engine vehicles are ditched entirely by 2035.
However, the mandate has received severe backlash from the automotive industry over concerns they’d be difficult to meet. Stellantis blamed the “stringent” targets for the consolidation of its UK manufacturing hubs at the end of 2024, putting 1,100 jobs at risk.
In response to mounting pressure, ministers launched a review of the ZEV mandate. Rather than an outright ban of new petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030, current legislation dictates that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in the UK must be ZEVs by 2030, rising to 100% by 2035.
However, these targets could be relaxed even further, potentially dropping...