Gerry Keaney, BVRLA Chief Executive: “The Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) mandate is a critical tool in the UK meeting its ambitious Net Zero targets. The clarity given today will give fleets and motorists the confidence to continue their decarbonisation journey and accelerate the transition to zero emission transport.
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Electric vehicles are more popular and accessible than ever. This mandate brings long-term certainty to the new and used EV markets and will help firms across the automotive supply chain plan for the phase out of petrol and diesel vehicle sales. We look forward to working with the Government as it implements this mandate and monitors the impact on the new vehicle market.”
Tanya Sinclair, Senior Director, Public Policy, Europe at ChargePoint, commented: “At ChargePoint, we welcome this announcement and the certainty it brings to all leading charging industry players. An ambitious ZEV mandate in the UK will guarantee numbers of EVs on the road from 2024, and therefore provides a clear signal to infrastructure investors to scale up charge point roll out. Having the right charging infrastructure in place to meet future EV demand will support the growth of the charging sector and thousands of highly skilled jobs across the UK. We look forward to continuing to work with the Government on a robust ZEV mandate, introduced as quickly as possible following the consultation period.”
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive: “Automotive is on track to deliver zero emission motoring, so we welcome this long-awaited consultation on a watershed regulation for the UK new car and van market. We want regulation that gives consumers choice and affordability, and enables manufacturers to transition sustainably and competitively.
“While the proposals rightly reflect the sector’s diversity, late publication and lack of regulatory certainty make product planning near impossible, and the continued lack of clarity as to what technologies will be permitted beyond 2030 undermines attempts to secure investment.
“Measures to improve the customer charging experience are a step in the right direction, but the fact that contactless credit or debit card payments will not be available on the vast majority of public chargers is a major failing that will significantly disadvantage EV drivers. It is also disappointing that, unlike in other countries, there is no commensurate regulation to drive investment into the public network given that paucity of chargepoints remains the biggest barrier to buying an electric vehicle. Ultimately, for this mandate to be successful, infrastructure providers must now turn promises into investment and catch up with the commitments of vehicle manufacturers.
“The UK new car and van market is already moving at pace towards electrification, the result of massive investment by manufacturers and increased consumer demand. If the UK is to lead the global race to zero emission mobility, however, it must go further and faster in unlocking infrastructure investment, incentivising EV ownership and helping ensure more of these vehicles are developed and built in Britain.”
Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, comments: “The wheels for the EV revolution are firmly in motion. The ZEV mandate will set the roadmap towards 2030 zero emissions transport – cutting harmful emissions for both people and the planet.
“The industry needs clarity and decisive action to place the UK EV market in pole position. We need to end our reliance on imported fossil fuels as we transition to zero emission vehicles powered by homegrown green energy.
“The devil will be in the detail, and this is our chance to further drive down costs and encourage new models to enter the market, giving drivers access to cheaper, greener, tech on wheels transport.”
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Ben Nelmes, CEO of green motoring consultancy New AutoMotive, says: “The government’s latest electric vehicle proposals are a further step toward a net zero Britain, targeting the car and van emissions that account for almost 20% of the country’s total emissions output. It will make electric vehicles more accessible, saving motorists around £1.93 billion in running costs, and provide green British businesses with the certainty they need to grow.
It is positive that the government has accepted our recommendation and is targeting a faster switch to electric vans, but ministers must make sure that there are no loopholes in the scheme that allow some manufacturers to avoid doing their fair share.”
Nick Williams, Transport Managing Director, Lloyds Banking Group said: “Reaffirming the commitment to the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate is a bold step forward from Government and sends a clear message to both industry and drivers that the future of motoring is electric. Today’s consultation announcement is a step closer to understanding how the plans will work in practice but, as ever, the devil remains in the detail.
“With nine months to go until it comes into force, the new ZEV mandate will increase the availability of electric vehicles and create greater competition in the market, providing drivers and businesses with more choice. Importantly, the mandate will boost the used car market, making EVs more affordable and accessible, while driving investment in the UK.”
Jon Lawes, Managing Director of Novuna Vehicle Solutions comments; “Today’s confirmation that the Government is committed to introducing a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate next year, accompanied with its reaffirmed commitment to cease the sale of new ICE vehicles by 2030 provides welcome clarity for the sector.
“Coupled with the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) funding announcement, we hope the formalisation of the ZEV Mandate will be the catalyst to accelerate investment required to deliver the rollout of sufficient public charge points across the UK which is failing to keep pace with EV adoption.
“As EV registrations grow at an exponential rate, we cannot overlook the fact that the UK is significantly under-delivering on EV infrastructure and that there is urgently more work to be done on the road to net zero.”
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Kim Royds, EV Director at British Gas, said: “The ZEV mandate is a statement of intent to boost widespread uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) as the UK continues to fly the flag for the electrification of transport. Today’s consultation announcement reaffirms the government’s commitment to introducing the mandate next year. But the devil remains in the detail, with only nine months to go until it comes into force drivers and manufacturers need clarity to understand how the scheme will work.
“Maintaining momentum in the number of EVs entering the UK’s roads is not going to be an easy ride without boosting the levels of investment in the charging network. It’s encouraging to see a further commitment of £380 million to accelerate the roll out of charge points but we need a longer-term investment plan to encourage all drivers to make the switch to an EV.”
Melanie Shufflebotham, COO of leading EV charging app Zap-Map, said: “The Government rightly recognises that EV drivers need to feel just as confident using a public chargepoint as when they used to fill up at a petrol station, so any move to simplify charging will be warmly welcomed.
“Mandates on payment methods, payment roaming, open data, pricing transparency and reliability will all provide a big boost to public confidence and encourage even more people to make the switch to cleaner and greener transport.”
The Government’s consultation document can be found here: Zero Emission Vehicles
