Analysis shows ministers are at risk of missing their goal for 300,000 public EV charge points by 2030, with only 3,870 installed in three months. At its current rate, the target will be achieved 10 years behind schedule. Will the Government now rethink its insane plan to ban sales of ‘wet’ cars in 2030? The Times has the story.
Figures from the Department for Transport show that 3,870 chargers were installed in the three months to July, bringing the total to 44,020 across the U.K.
At the current pace, just 114,640 would be installed by January 2030, with the targets met a decade later. To meet the target in time 9,845 chargers would need to be installed each quarter between now and then — a 154% increase.
There is growing frustration among motor manufacturers at the lack of a mandate on charging infrastructure, given that from next year carmakers will be subject to one themselves on how many zero-emission vehicles they sell, with penalties for missing targets. The Government is aiming to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. New hybrid cars, which use a combination of electric and conventional fuels, will be banned from 2035.
There was debate this week over whether pursuing the green agenda will hamper the Tories’ success at the next election after the party narrowly held Boris Johnson’s former seat in the Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election. The victory was attributed to the party’s opposition of the expansion of London’s clean air zone, which was billed as a tax on motorists.
Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary, said the 2030 date to end sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles was “immovable”. He told the BBC: “We’re committed to maintaining our policy of ensuring that by 2030 there are no new petrol and diesel cars being sold.”
Privately, some in the motor industry believe the Conservatives know the infrastructure targets will not be met and that sticking to the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars will be hard, but are unwilling to address the issues before the election. Louise Haigh, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “There is no time to lose on charging infrastructure, yet the Conservatives are still a decade off track to meeting their own target.
“Never-ending chaos from this Conservative Government risks stalling the switch to electric vehicles, pushing up costs and leaving our world-class car industry in limbo.”
From next year manufacturers will be subject to a mandate on how many zero-emission vehicles they sell, starting at 22% of their total production. That will rise every year, reaching 52% in 2028, 80% in 2030 and 100% in 2035.
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