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This photo shows an electric car being charged on a London street.
Miles Willis | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The UK will stop selling new diesel and gasoline (petrol) cars and vans from 2030 under plans announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The move is part of a broader 10-point plan for a so-called “green industrial revolution” aimed at generating up to 250,000 jobs and fighting climate change.
Announced late Tuesday evening in an article written by Johnson in the Financial Times and posted on the government website Wednesday morning, the plan will focus on a number of areas including carbon capture and storage, low-energy hydrogen generation. carbon emissions, offshore wind and nuclear energy.
The vehicle ban represents an acceleration of the previous objectives; British authorities had previously said that the sale of new petrol and diesel powered vans and cars would end in 2040. In February, they announced their ambition to bring this project forward to 2035.
The new target for 2030 comes after what the government has called “extensive consultation with car manufacturers and sellers”. The government, however, will continue to “allow the sale of hybrid cars and vans that can travel a significant distance without carbon escaping the tailpipe until 2035.”
In terms of funding, £ 1.3 billion (approximately $ 1.72 billion) will go towards improving the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, while £ 582 million will be allocated for grants to reduce the cost of vehicles. and encourage their adoption.
In addition, nearly £ 500 million will be spent over the next four years on “the large-scale development and production of batteries for electric vehicles”.
With internal combustion engine vehicles still accounting for the majority of vehicles on UK roads, there are clear hurdles to overcome if the 2030 target is to be met.
“Less than 10% of the cars sold in the UK during 2020 so far have been battery electric vehicles,” Tom Heggarty, a lead analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said in a statement.
“Getting to 100% will require tremendous effort along the entire supply chain, as well as ensuring that there is enough fast-charging infrastructure available to keep all new electric vehicles … on the road,” he added.
The UK is one of many countries seeking to end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles.
Denmark, for example, did it proposed phasing out new sales of diesel and gasoline cars in 2030. And Norway, long recognized as a world leader in electric vehicle adoption, wants all new light vans and passenger cars sold to be carbon neutral by 2025.
Back in the UK, Mike Hawes, managing director of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said that “the new deadline, accelerated by a decade, is an immense challenge.”
Hawes went on to add that the SMMT was pleased to see the government “accept the importance of hybrid transition technologies” and “commit to additional purchase incentive spending.”
“The investment in electric vehicle production capacity is equally welcome as we want this transition to be ‘made in the UK’, but if we are to remain competitive – as an industry and market – this is only the beginning of what is needed. “.
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