Lords Committee call for an ‘essential’ rapid recharge of UK’s EV strategy

The new report, ‘EV strategy: rapid recharge needed’, was published today (6 February, 2024) by the authority of the House of Lords.

The UK government has committed to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035 and the Committee said there has been some welcome progress towards this target.

The government’s Zero Emission Vehicles mandate, requiring manufacturers to sell an increasing proportion of EVs each year, was introduced in December 2023, and there has also been some progress in the rollout of the UK’s charging infrastructure and the recent publication of strategies to enhance UK innovation and manufacturing.

However, the new report claims that progress is not happening fast enough and major barriers remain.

The report found that EVs make up three per cent of all cars currently on UK roads, that EVs are still more expensive than petrol and diesel cars, and that the availability of public chargepoints across the UK is highly variable.

It also claimed that many consumers face ‘considerable anxiety’ around whether and where they will be able to charge EVs reliably, affordably, and quickly.

Witnesses heard by the Committee called for clearer communication and more leadership from the government. The report said that the concern expressed by the government about the scale of EV misinformation has not been matched by urgency in tackling it.

Faced with conflicting claims and alarmist headlines, the report said consumers need a go-to source of comprehensive, clear and balanced information so they can make informed decisions about their vehicles.

As such, the Committee said the government must publish a roadmap through 2035 setting out the steps it will take to achieve its revised net zero target.

The report has called for the government to:

• Tackle the disparity in upfront costs between electric and petrol and diesel cars, by introducing targeted grants to support consumers buying affordable models.
• Improve the charging infrastructure rollout by reviewing outdated and disproportionate planning regulations, and tackling delays in the rollout of key public funding programmes.
• Ensure charging is reasonably priced, convenient, and reliable by equalising VAT rates for domestic and public charging.
• Invest in UK recycling to ensure that recycling is undertaken by responsible operators, and that the UK can recoup as many of the critical materials contained in EV batteries as possible for its own domestic production.

In a statement, the chair of the inquiry, Baroness Parminter, said: “Surface transport is the UK’s highest emitting sector for CO2, with passenger cars responsible for over half those emissions. The evidence we received shows the government must do more – and quickly – to get people to adopt EVs.

“If it fails to heed our recommendations the UK won’t reap the significant benefits of better air quality and will lag in the slow lane for tackling climate change.”

The report can be read in full here.