Tough new targets for electric vehicle sales to be set in weeks as petrol and diesel motors are phased out
TOUGH new targets are set to be introduced for electric car sales in the coming weeks as plans to phase out traditional cars roll on.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reported to be dead-set on the Government’s 2030 ban on new sales of fossil-fuel-powered motors.
The ban is reported to have been part of a deal that secured a £600million investment from BMW in their Oxfordshire plant earlier this week, according to The Times.
It is also believed that officials promised the company that annual quotas for EV sales would not be relaxed.
Sources said that the Department for Transport advised Downing Street against significant changes to the rules.
This will mean a target for 22% of all cars sold next year being electric, rising to 50% by 2028.
For their part, BMW are not believed to have made this a condition of the investment, but simply urged ministers to provide clarity on what the rules will be going forward.
David Bailey, professor of business economics at Birmingham University, said: “Certainty is key. Companies want to know what they’ve got to aim at.”
Insiders claimed that the policy is in the “final furlongs” before it is announced, with Number 10 not looking to make any major alterations.
Officials reportedly believe that this will give companies the confidence to invest in more charging points, with 3,870 installed over the last three months alone.
This week, The Sun Online gave readers a glimpse of the current EV charging chaos, with over 12 million people fighting over a few thousand chargers in rural areas.
And thousands have backed our Give Us A Brake campaign which demands a delay to the ban until proper charging infrastructure is in place.
The Government has also faced pushback from its own backbenchers, with Net Zero Scrutiny Group chair saying he was “horrified” by the proposed regulations.
He said: “The 2030 ban itself is out of step with our competitor countries like the US and EU, who have kicked this back to 2035.
“Last time I checked we were a capitalist country where consumers make their own choices.”
The prominent MP also warned of a “political row” ahead as consumers are “not sold on” EVs.
A DfT spokesperson said: “We’re engaging closely and constructively with industry as it works towards phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.”
It comes after an EV expert shared their tips to avoid long queues at charging stations.
Meanwhile, the boss of a major car maker admitted there is a significant “problem” with his own company’s EVs.