Reaction to ICE ban delay

Asif Ghafoor, CEO and co-founder of Northern charging network Be.EV says:

“Today’s announcement to push the ICE ban back to 2035 is the polar opposite to the ambition and bold strategy we need to see from the government right now.

“You can’t help but think the Prime Minister looked at the net zero plan and thought ‘that’s going to be a bit hard’, so chose to abandon it.

“The cold reality is Sunak needed to face up to the challenge - and to do so with conviction. The world is going through a major industrial shift - no one ever said it was going to be easy.

“At such an important time, the government should be leading the charge, creating jobs and opportunities and attracting investment to this country. Instead they are changing dates, generating uncertainty and demonstrating a total lack of ambition and courage in their vision for the country’s green future.

“The government is no longer leading Britain’s net zero transition. Their internal squabbles and indecisiveness have created a total loss of faith in any new measures or goals they announce. It will now fall on the public to drive the changes they want to see and the market to respond to that demand.

“For the EV industry, we have to push on with business as usual. The EV transition is happening - that horse has well and truly bolted. 

“The rate at which consumers have adopted EVs has been faster than predicted. The British public is motivated to see a better, cleaner future for their kids and that will continue to provide some positive momentum to the transition. 

“Car manufacturers are already globally invested in the EV transition, many have already made commitments to completely transition their production to 100% EVs before 2030. 

“As an industry, our responsibility is now to the public, and to the public and private actors who are invested in this journey with us. At Be.EV, we will continue to play our part, supporting local councils and businesses to transform their communities, delivering the quality infrastructure needed to serve public demand and decarbonise Britain’s transport once and for all.”

Simon King, Interim CEO, Autotech Group:

EV training isn’t purely for the vehicle technicians who are responsible for repairing and maintaining them, but anyone who works or operates them, including the customer who drives their new EV off the forecourt, needs educating.

Not only for their safety, but to understand how to drive them efficiently.

Fleet companies, along with local authorities and the emergency services have invested heavily in electrification and will undoubtedly continue to build on this electric future while vehicle manufacturers, who have made firm commitments on when they will move to fully zero-emissions cars, have said they will not deter from these planned dates. 

Therefore, despite the Government moving its climate commitments, the aftermarket cannot afford to become complacent.

The fact is there are more electric vehicles on the road today than there are people trained to work on them. It is imperative that we continue pushing forward with plans to upskill technicians and educate the wider public on EV’s - this will not only lead to a stronger automotive sector but ensure that everyone has the right knowledge to make the transition safely and successfully.

EV expert, David Martell:

“It is a truly retrogressive step and entirely counter-productive. It obviously won’t be good for the environment, will likely confuse potential car buyers, and it will discourage inward investment in the UK by green-tech businesses. The motor industry has been gearing up for the 2030 deadline since it was announced by the Conservative government three years ago, and the message from carmakers is clear – we cannot delay. For the sake of the economy today and the environment in future years, we need a clear commitment and better policies to make the transition happen. No-one is served by simply kicking the can down the road.”

Paul Hollick, chair, AFP, said:

“While some of our members will be pleased about this because it takes the pressure to electrify away for the time being, the reaction that we are seeing across the fleet sector to this news is largely negative. The motor industry and their fleet customers have invested billions towards meeting the 2030 electrification deadline and while there are serious operational issues that need to be tackled, especially when it comes to electric vans, the assumption within our membership was that the government would need to provide more support, not move the goalposts.

“Where we go from here is difficult to say. The global motor industry doesn’t hinge on what the UK government does, so this is unlikely to do much to change future production plans away from electric vehicles (EVs) towards petrol and diesel while presumably, company car benefit in kind taxation will stay in its current form and continue to encourage fleets to electrify. In 2030, the vast majority of new cars on sale in the UK, and a substantial element of the used car parc, will almost certainly be battery powered.

“The overwhelming feeling is probably one of irritation. Fleets have done some incredible work when it comes to electrification and it feels as though the can has been kicked down the road in a fairly arbitrary fashion by a government that sees this move as politically expedient. There are, of course, a range of dangers. The value of existing EVs may be negatively affected; investment in charging infrastructure may fall away; and there may just be something of a manyana environment around electrification for the next few years. However, this must be resisted and it is especially important the local authorities are properly funded to ensure the installation of on-street chargers becomes widespread.”

Ben Nelmes, CEO of New AutoMotive says:

“Pushing the ban on buying petrol and diesel cars back to 2035 is an abdication of leadership that motorists will pay the price for. It sets us back in the global race to develop green industries - a huge own goal by the UK.

“It’s also a hammer blow to the UK’s leadership on climate change. Despite what the Prime Minister has claimed, it will be harder to meet our legally binding emissions targets.

“He is right to say that electric car prices are dropping and charging infrastructure is improving – but this is thanks to the industry investing billions of pounds working towards the 2030 target. Pushing the date back will raise costs for motorists by deterring future investment in the UK EV industry and supply chain.

“It will restrict job creation, weaken energy security and lead to higher energy bills for longer for everyone. It removes a key pillar of the current government industrial policy of green growth, reversing the work of the last decade.”

Sally Foote, UK Managing Director at carwow, comments: 

“The decision to push the ban back by five years will leave many feeling frustrated, and calling for clarity, support and an assurance that the goalposts won’t move again.

“Manufacturers and motorists alike have been making huge changes since the government set out its target to phase out new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. From significant levels of investment into new electric models, to more EVs being bought. Nearly two in five motorists tell us their next vehicle will be an EV.

"The announcement fails to provide much-needed clarity regarding the new Zero Emission Vehicles mandate, which would levy huge fines on vehicle makers who fail to ensure at least 22% of their new car sales and 10% of new vans are zero emissions in 2024.

“All this positive progress as we transition towards electric vehicles risks being undermined by today’s announcement, which could send the message that going green isn’t that important. It’s also hard for industry and consumers to be sure there won’t be further changes. At a time when we’re all adjusting to new policies like the expansion of clean air zones across the country, this decision only adds further confusion when greater stability is what’s needed.”

Mark Field, chief executive of IAAF, said:

“IAAF is calling on the government to listen to the concerns of the automotive aftermarket and allow it to play a greater role in the consultations on Net Zero. The aftermarket industry is the leading provider of service, maintenance, and repair of the 34 million vehicles on UK roads, so it needs to be part of the discussion.

“Much has been made of the country’s triumphant road to an alternative-fuelled future, but the aftermarket, as the pinnacle of a circular economy that has been gearing up for a very diverse set of vehicles arriving on its shores for some time, yet again faces the goalposts being moved with little consultation.

“Everyone wants to do the right thing on climate change, but they don’t want to be unfairly penalised and faced with changing their mode of transport to a more expensive alternative at a time when the cost of living is so high,” Field adds.

“The issue is that without certainty and regular consultation, the automotive industry cannot appropriately plan for the future, whether that’s powered by petrol and diesel, electricity, or another alternative fuel.

“The delay proves that 2030 was simply a target, and in order to realistically achieve this then more discussion with the experts in service, maintenance and repair needs to happen.”