UK government lacks plan for huge EV challenge – MPs

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n a report published today, the UK parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says the UK government has set a huge challenge to reach future zero-emission targets, but that more EV charging infrastructure is needed and government departments require plans for the transition that are currently absent.

The PAC report says the UK government has set ambitious targets to phase out new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030 and for all new cars to be zero-emission from 2035, but with just 11% of new car registrations for ultra-low emission cars in 2020, it will be a “huge challenge” to get this to 100% in the next 14 years.

Achieving this ambition will require convincing consumers of the affordability and practicality of zero-emission cars, with up-front prices still too high for many in comparison to petrol or diesel equivalents, and addressing the current very uneven take-up across the UK, the report says.

The PAC report also concludes that while the number of charging points is increasing rapidly, many more will be required within a very short period to support the envisaged growth in electric cars in the UK. Moreover, the PAC is "not convinced the government is on track with this crucial infrastructure".

The PAC also maintains that UK government departments will need to be on top of other consequences arising from the transition, including the impact on the skills and capabilities required to support th changeover in the UK vehicle fleet; the environmental and social implications of the switch-over both in the UK and across global supply chains; the impact on our future power needs; and the impact on the government tax-take due to the loss of fuel duties.