Petrol and Diesel Car Sales Ban Brought Forward to 2035

The UK Government said today that from 2035 all new vehicle sales must be zero-emission vehicles, effectively banning the internal combustion engine from our roads.

Friends of the Earth’s Mike Childs said that the government was right to bring forward the ban, but that 2030 would be better than 2035 whilst the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that the 2035 target could not be met without ‘market transformation’. 

What are the facts:

• Climate Change is bad for the planet and steps need to be taken to reduce our carbon emissions - the internal combustion engine is a contributor to carbon emissions so something needs to be done.
• Norway have already legislated to stop the sale of brand new internal combustion engined vehicles in their country from 2025 - a full 10 years before the UK Government. Other countries in Europe, including Germany, are discussing the same rule for 2030.
• The technology is already available, has sufficient range for the vast majority of motorists and charging infrastructure is improving. 
• We are 15 years away from the proposed ban, a massive amount of time to develop the technology, build the charging infrastructure and develop new zero emission technologies.
• This is not just electricity, zero emission vehicles include hydrogen powered fuel cells, so we are not completely reliant upon electricity
• This is not a switch off of petrol and diesel powered vehicles, they will still be available to purchase up to the end of 2034, and it will take a number of years for these vehicles to roll through to the end of their lives and be replaced by a zero emission vehicle - and this was one of the reasons why the government brought forward the ban: the original date of 2040 would mean that there would still be internal combustion engined vehicles in use on the zero emission target date of 2050.

This will involve everyone, vehicle manufacturers, governments and legislators, power suppliers, drivers, owners and companies. 

• Vehicle manufacturers need to bring affordable vehicles to market and increase supply
• Governments and legislators need to help vehicle owners and drivers make the switch to zero emission vehicles
• Power suppliers need to improve the grid, continue to invest in renewable power and the oil companies need to change and become power suppliers - as they see the sales of petrol and diesel (and oil) drop, they need to back fill this with hydrogen. Once the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure is there people will purchase and use hydrogen powered vehicles.
• Vehicle drivers and owners need to look at their daily use, accept that the vast majority of them only travel 30-40 miles a day and an electric vehicle will be perfect for them. Fit a charge point at home and purchase a vehicle - for those that cannot park outside their house see the next point.
• All companies, however small or large, need to invest in charging points so that their employees and customers can plug in and charge whilst the vehicle is not in use. When does a car stand still the most? At home, at work or when you are visiting a tourist attraction, shopping centre, city or town centre or an hotel - every single one of these needs enough charge points to cope with demand.

Is this a challenge? Yes, but more importantly this is an opportunity for the UK to show that it is one of the leaders in zero emission vehicles, that we can step up to a seemingly impossible task and achieve net zero by 2050; we can contribute to our planet and give our children and grandchildren a future that does not include the threat of global warming, and that they can still have personal mobility and the freedom to travel that we have.