UK to move electric vehicle target forward to 2030?

The Committee on Climate Change that advises the British government is looking into the sales ban of petrol and diesel powered cars. The planned 2040 target must move forward, say the advisers and suggest 2035 if not 2030 as they assume ICEs and BEVs to reach price parity by mid-2020ies.

But to reach the faster and more widespread use of electric vehicles in Great Britain, the government must also invest in charging infrastructure, according to the Climate Change experts.

The update is in response to the Government’s latest strategy called Road to Zero. Published last July, the paper had affirmed to ban all sales of combustion engine vehicles by 2040 reportedly but averted calls that asked to move said target forward. There was a new mid-term goal, however, as the Road to Zero Strategy specified that by 2030, at least half of all newly registered cars and 40 per cent of new vans must classify as “ultra-low emission”.

The now proposed change of the Climate Change Committee, however, puts new heat into the debate. It is expected to propose a 100% electric vehicle target for 2030, and latest 2035 as a compromise and bases the new goal on the expectation, that ICEs and EVs will reach price parity in 2024/25.
Indeed the UK market for electric cars has taken up speed lately, as usually well in line with more incoming models. Tesla has started to take pre-orders for the Model 3 this month and Peugeot is readying the electric 208 for deliveries to the Isles this autumn reportedly.

Critics of the old target also say that a sales ban in 2040 would mean some older petrol and diesel vehicles will still be on the roads after 2050 – the point at which the UK is to be a zero-emission country when it comes to transport.

Another backdrop for the new thinking is Parliament’s decision to opt for a Labour motion asking to declare a “Climate Change Emergency”. It remains unclear what this means exactly, as the state of emergency does not entail any legal obligation for climate action.

The BBC has published the findings ahead of an official statement by the Committee on Climate Change.

bbc.co.uk (2030 target), bbc.co.uk (Climate Change Emergency)