The Government is preparing to outlaw the sale of new petrol-fuelled motorcycles from 2040 as part of their Net Zero emissions drive. The Telegraph has the story.
The move would affect all vehicles classed as “L3” and upwards, including scooters and light, medium and higher-powered motorcycles. There are around 1.3 million motorcycles registered in the U.K.
It is expected to be revealed soon, according to industry sources, although it is not clear whether Downing Street has signed off on the policy yet.
The change would also be accompanied by a plan to ban sales of new petrol-fuelled mopeds earlier, from 2030.
That reflects the already-high numbers of electric mopeds being sold. They accounted for roughly half of U.K. moped registrations last year.
By contrast, the market for electric motorcycles is far less developed and represented less than 2% of total sales in 2023.
They also suffer from some of the same “range anxiety” issues as electric cars, with many e-motorcycles currently limited to ranges of less than 100 miles while not all are compatible by default with electric car charging stations. …
In a consultation published two years ago, the Department for Transport asked companies to comment on either a 2030 or 2035 ban for motorcycles and mopeds. A ban in 2035 would have been in line with the phasing out of sales of new petrol cars.
But while cars and taxis accounted for 57% of the U.K.’s transport-related carbon emissions in 2021, motorcycles and mopeds represented just 0.5%.
The Motorcycle Industry Association had previously warned that phasing out petrol-fuelled motorcycles by 2035 was “unrealistic” and could cause some manufacturers to “review their place in the U.K. market”.
Worth reading in full.
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