The
UK government has announced it will be relaxing the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate (ZEV) will be changed to make it easier for industry to upgrade to make electric vehicles.
The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate will be changed to make it easier for the auto industry to stop sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said:
“Global trade is being transformed so we must go further and faster in reshaping our economy and our country through our Plan for Change…So today I am announcing bold changes to the way we support our car industry. This will help ensure home-grown firms can export British cars built by British workers around the world and the industry can look forward with confidence, as well as back with pride.”
British car brands like Rolls-Royce, Vauxhall and Land Rover have previously been threatened with fines if they do not hit the 2030 target.
The changes intend to help the car industry by:
- increasing flexibility of the mandate for manufacturers up to 2030, so that more cars can be sold in later years when demand is higher
- allowing hybrid cars – like the Toyota Prius and Nissan e-Power – to be sold until 2035 to help ease the transition and give industry more time to prepare
- continuing to boost demand for electric vehicles, on top of the £2.3 billion we’re already spending on boosting British manufacturing and improving charging infrastructure – with a new charge-point popping up every half an hour
- pressing on with tax breaks worth hundreds of millions of pounds to help people switch to electric vehicles
Demand for electric vehicles is already rising, with the latest data showing sales in March were up over 40% on last year, which will help with the transition.
Vans with an internal combustion engine (
ICE) will be allowed to be sold until 2035, alongside full hybrids and plug-in hybrid vans.
The government has claimed that owning and buying an
EV is becoming increasingly cheaper, with drivers able to save £1,100 a year compared to petrol if they charge overnight at home. Half of used electric cars are sold at under £20,000 and 29 brand new electric cars are available from under £30,000.
