The United Kingdom (UK) is reconsidering its electric vehicle (EV) sales targets after listening to automakers’ warnings.
According to the British government, its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandates will be under consultation. In January 2024, the UK government published its pathway for zero-emission vehicle transition by 2035. The ZEV mandate aims to make 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain be zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The government expects 100% of new cars to be zero-emission by 2035.
“The UK now has the most ambitious regulatory framework for the switch to electric vehicles of any country in the world, thanks to new laws which commenced today (3 January 2024). Following extensive consultation with industry and manufacturers, the mandate provides them with the certainty they have called for to safeguard skilled British jobs,” the government announced at the time.
Automakers started pushing back against the ZEV mandates because public demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has not met expectations. The car manufacturers argue that the UK’s ZEV mandates would cost them $7.6 billion in 2024, threatening jobs and Britain’s appeal as a manufacturing hub.
According to Reuters, UK Business Minister Jonathan Reynolds blamed the previous Conservative government for giving mixed policy signals to automakers and consumers.
“They changed the destination and kept the fines and the ramp-up and the thresholds exactly the same. What they did was give no flexibility or pragmatism in how that policy operated, but still undermined the transition, leading to a massive reduction in consumer confidence,” Reynolds commented.
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