Sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans could be stopped in just 10 years.
It hasn't been long since we were talking about the ban on non-electric vehicles being brought forward to 2035, but now it looks like this can happen even earlier. The Government has previously changed the date to 2035 because it said 2040 might be too late for the UK to archive zero emissions target by 2050.
According to the Guardian newspaper, the Government has plans to stop the sale of combustion-engined vehicles in 2030, which is 5 years earlier than planned just months ago, and 10 years earlier than the original plan was. It is expected that prime minister Boris Johnson will be announcing the new date in the autumn as part of a post-pandemic economic recovery plan for the UK. The latest news means that in just 10 years we may no longer be able to buy any solely fossil-fuelled vehicles, hybrid and even plug-in hybrid models at all.
What does it mean for vehicle manufacturers?
Pulling the ban forward 10 years has put vehicle manufacturers in a very challenging position. They need to provide more electric cars and vans to meet the demand before the deadline, which is not an easy task with the current battery shortages delaying the supply of the vehicles. Infrastructure providers are also under pressure to deliver enough charging points in time before the change especially as the Government doubled the EV charger fund to boost the UK's charging infrastructure and encourage switching to EV in urban areas and also to develop a charger monitoring platform, which could be installed into sat-nav systems and route planners.
Bringing the ban forward to 2030 will put the UK in line with Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands and ahead of France, which is still going for a 2040 ban.
What does it mean for you?
While the clock is ticking with possibly just 10 years left to switch to an electric vehicle, there is nothing to worry about in the short term because most of us will change vehicles at least once in that time. However, as we approach the deadline, we should expect to see big discounts on any remaining new non-electric vehicles and more incentives to get you into an electric model. Surely you have noticed that the changes are already happening with more and more electric models being announced and going on sale and more charging points popping in your area.
How many electric cars are sold today?
44,708 pure electric cars have been sold in the UK only this year. That's 157% more than in the same period year earlier and despite the fact that the dealers were closed for months due to the pandemic. It is only 4.9% of the total number of newly registered cars but there is still a visible growth.
Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles went up by almost 685, with 29,877 vehicles sold between January and August 2020. The increase in demand for these models proves the trend in switching to greener cars and has been happening particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic.
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