Here’s what you need to know about the recent announcement from the UK government.
⚡ The ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles has been brought forward to 2030.
⚡ Long-range hybrids will continue to be sold until 2035.
⚡ The government will invest £1.3 billion to accelerate the roll out of charge points.
⚡ There will be £582 million in grants for those buying zero or ultra-low emission vehicles.
The plan also talks about green energy, manufacturing, and active mobility but I’ll let you read about that over on Zap Map where I’ve covered it in more detail.
I have some concerns about this plan and I’d love to know a bit more about the details because, at the moment, everything is a bit vague. Even if everything in the plan goes ahead, it still puts us a long way off net zero. The plan is important and it’s absolutely a move in the right direction, so why do I feel so uneasy?
Ten years is, of course, a long way off and we don’t know how this plan will progress. Perhaps I feel uneasy because of my distrust for Boris Johnson’s government. Believe me, I’d love to see this plan usher in a green industrial revolution because it makes no sense for the UK to lag behind on this. But, as Tom Spencer from Irish EVs pointed out on Twitter, this could be greenwashing on the government’s part.
There’s a lot that needs to be done to take us from where we are now to the future the plan outlines. Infrastructure alone needs to improve but the biggest thing will be changing public mindset. I truly believe, there is a place for ICE engines in this future in the form of motorsport and classic cars but for day-to-day driving, electric just makes sense. We need to encourage people just to try it because they’d probably love the EV experience.
I’ll be talking about this issue in more detail over on BBC Radio Norfolk tomorrow morning so if you’re up early, you can tune in just after 7am.
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Full outline of the Prime Minister’s plan over on Zap Map.
The true cost of fuel duty via Irish EVs.
From the article: “While the UK claims that the loss of its fuel duty will leave it with a £40bn deficit to make up, this figure is willfully selective and deliberately overlooks the broader implications of fossil fuel on public health and the environment.”