ZEV mandate becomes law
The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate (ZEV) mandate has now officially become law, requiring all new cars and vans to be zero emission by 2035.
The ZEV Mandate was passed into law by the House of Commons last month and will require 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035. MPs voted and passed the ZEV mandate into law with 381 ayes to 37 nos. It comes into force from today (3 January 2024).
For 2024, 22% of all new UK car sales from each qualifying brand must be zero-emissions, with the percentage gradually rising each year. For 2024, OEMs will be subject to a £15,000 penalty per non-compliant car. If an OEM does not meet the target percentage for that year, then there are options to mitigate the fines including buying ‘credits’ from other OEMs who have a surplus.
Technology and Decarbonisation Minister Anthony Browne will visit a new bppulse hub in London today to mark the occasion, where he will see their ultra-fast EV chargers in action and meet drivers who are benefiting from the facility.
Technology and Decarbonisation Minister Anthony Browne said:
”Alongside us having spent more than £2 billion in the transition to electric vehicles, our zero emission vehicle mandate will further boost the economy and support manufacturers to safeguard skilled British jobs in the automotive industry.
”We are providing investment certainty for the charging sector to expand our charging network which has already grown by 44% since this time last year. This will support the constantly growing number of EVs in the UK, which currently account for over 16% of the new UK car market.”
Akira Kirton, Vice President, bp pulse UK, said:
”We are pleased to host the minister at our most powerful EV charging hub in central London to mark the start of the ZEV mandate. This mandate instils confidence in our strategy, reaffirming our plans to invest £1 billion over 10 years to continue to develop hundreds of EVcharging hubs across the country by 2030 to bolster the UK’s charging infrastructure.”
Andrew Brem, General Manager of Uber UK, said:
”London is Uber’s top city for EVs worldwide, with well over 10,000 electric vehicles on the platform in the capital. However, the availability and up-front cost of EVs can still be a barrier for many drivers.
”The ZEV mandate coming into force is a significant moment which will help to drive down the costs of EVs and increase supply – accelerating the uptake of EVs over the next decade.”
Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) which represents car and commercial retailers across the UK commented:
“The introduction of the ZEV mandate into law today will be a key policy in driving electric vehicle uptake and will heavily influence the automotive retail sector in its ongoing transition to electric. The automotive retailing sector has been supportive of the Government’s targets for net-zero in 2050 and as such has invested heavily in driving the electrification of the vehicle parc.”
NFDA’s Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) accreditation scheme was also launched in 2019 to encourage retailers to enhance their expertise in the electric vehicle sector and increase consumer confidence during the transition to electric. Since its launch, the scheme reached a significant milestone last year of 500 accredited dealer sites, with many more still due to be processed in 2024.
“Nevertheless, there is still more that needs to be done by government to maintain the positive electric vehicle trajectory in registrations and increase public confidence in these greener, cleaner vehicle types. The recent news that government has missed its own target of six rapid or ultra-rapid chargers at every motorway service station in England by the end of 2023 will do the industry no favours in its attempts to ease the minds of consumers,” added Sue Robinson.
Recently, in NFDA’s recent Consumer Attitude Survey, 62% of over 800 driving licence holders across the UK attributed cost and 57% attributed lack of charging facilities in the UK as to why they were not interested in purchasing an electric vehicle.
The ZEV mandate will only apply to England, Wales and Scotland and not Northern Ireland. This is against the backdrop of Northern Ireland currently having less than 1% of UK’s total charging points with an alarming proportion of these being antiquated and unreliable.
Sue Robinson concluded: “Whilst the ZEV mandate is certainly a step in the right direction, the Government needs to offer more attractive price incentives and look to improve EV charging infrastructure across the country to increase consumer confidence in electric and help drive the country towards its net-zero commitments.”
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
