Government lacks a clear plan for delivering on ambitions to phase out polluting cars, the Public Accounts Committee warns today, with action urgently needed to improve driver confidence in zero emission alternatives and ramp up the pace of charging infrastructure roll out.
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The committee welcomes the Government’s targets to end sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and for all new cars to be zero emission at the tailpipe from 2035, as “ambitious”.
But its chair Meg Hillier emphasises that with ultra low emission vehicles representing just 11% of new car registrations in 2020, there is “a mountain to climb” to reach 100% over the next 14 years.
“The Government needs to get the country behind it and lead the way in the global race against climate change,” she said. “This isn’t about more targets with no plan behind them inevitably getting missed – it’s about averting the real world challenges that are bearing down on all of us.”
The report says the Departments for Transport and for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy must set out their plans for managing the transition to electric cars, and ensure progress towards the targets can be monitored against these.
It adds that several consumer issues must be tackled to increase uptake of zero emission vehicles, including concerns over their affordability, the distance they are able to travel on a single charge and the availability of charge points when and where they are required.
“The Department for Transport claims that the price gap between ultra low emission and petrol and diesel cars is rapidly closing and highlights that the running cost of an electric car is lower than that of a petrol or diesel equivalent,” the report says. “However, we are not persuaded that the upfront costs are low enough for many.”
It adds that take up of electric vehicles has so far been greatest where levels of traffic, charge points and affluence are highest. “There is a risk that some regions get left behind during this transition, including those in rural areas,” the report adds.
In addition, the committee says it is not convinced the Government has sufficiently “thought through” how charging infrastructure will be expanded at the pace required to support planned growth in electric cars.
Government must also work to consider the practical implications of the transition to zero emission vehicles, including issues relating to increased demands on power networks and the expected loss of fuel duties.
A Government spokesman said: “We’ve got a highly ambitious and world leading approach to increasing the uptake of zero emission cars, and the progress we’re making in this area will help us to meet our targets.
“Already, we’re investing £2.8Bn in helping industry and drivers make the switch – and will continue our work to install thousands of charge points and boost the development of new technologies to meet our goals.”
CIHT is embarking on a project to develop a transport sector ‘Route to Net Zero’, which seeks to establish consensus among members and stakeholders on the pathway to decarbonisation.
The Route to Net Zero project forms part of implementing the CIHT Climate Pledge. It will help to establish the industry’s readiness to deliver net zero and the Climate Change Committee’s sixth carbon budget, and will establish a CIHT led programme of action to support transportation professionals over the next decade. CIHT members will be consulted on draft proposals this Summer.
(Photograph: nrqemi - Shutterstock)
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