7 April 2018
Britain is falling behind in the global shift to electric vehicles (EVs). Government policy has helped to nearly double the EV stock, year on year, since 2012, and the UK has the largest EV battery manufacturing plant in Europe. But, in 2017, Germany overtook the UK for the first time in EV sales and China manufactured half of all EV’s globally.
If the government wants to, as it says, “cement the UK’s position as a world leader in the low emission and electric vehicle industry”, its forthcoming ‘Road to zero’ strategy is a prime opportunity to shift gear.
A strong market at home is critical to growing UK EV manufacturing. To support this, the ban on new fossil-fuelled vehicles should be brought forward ten years, from 2040 to 2030. Norway and India have set conventional car bans from 2025 and 2030 respectively. And competitors like China, California, and Germany are considering similarly ambitious EV sales targets.
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