Hybrids have been included in a government proposal to bring forward a ban on sales of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK from 2040 to 2035.
The announcement came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched COP26, a United Nations climate summit that will be held in Glasgow in November.
The change in plans, which are subject to consultation, comes after experts warned the previous target date of 2040 would still leave too many older conventional cars on the roads following the UK’s zero-carbon target date of 2050.
In a statement made ahead of the launch on Tuesday February 4th, Johnson said the ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars could come earlier than 2035, if possible.
Hybrid vehicles are also now being included in the proposals, which were originally announced in July 2017.
As such, only pure electric- and hydrogen-powered cars and vans can be purchased once the ban comes into effect.
Mike Childs, head of science at Friends of the Earth, said the government was “right” to bring forward the ban, but that 2030 would be better than 2035.
“A new 2035 target will still leave the UK in the slow-lane of the electric car revolution and meantime allow more greenhouse gases to spew into the atmosphere,” he said.
“If the UK government wants to show real leadership ahead of this year’s climate summit it must also urgently reverse its plans for more climate-wrecking roads and runways – and pull the plug on its support for new gas, coal and oil developments.”
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, accused the government of “moving the goalposts” and offering uncertainty to carmakers.
“Manufacturers are fully invested in a zero-emissions future, with some 60 plug-in models now on the market and 34 more coming in 2020,” said Hawes.
“However, with current demand for this still expensive technology still just a fraction of sales, it’s clear that accelerating an already very challenging ambition will take more than industry investment.
“This is about market transformation, yet we still don’t have clarity on the future of the plug-in car grant – the most significant driver of EV uptake – which ends in just 60 days’ time, while the UK’s charging network is still woefully inadequate.”
Want to learn more about what’s driving the development of zero-emission vehicle technologies? CiTTi Exhibition takes place on the 3rd and 4th of June at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. Register your interest to attend at www.cittiexhibition.co.uk
