FairCharge, a campaign group for electric vehicles (EVs), is urging the UK government to change outdated laws that are seriously stunting the growth of a ground-breaking new sustainable enterprise.
The law concerns the conversion of older internal combustion engine (ICE) cars into EVs. This innovative electrification process could save countless ICE vehicles from the scrapheap, dramatically reducing waste and helping to build the circular economy that we desperately need to combat climate change.
So, what’s the problem? Current UK laws require the DVLA to retain CO2 emission ratings on V5Cs for all cars built after 2001, even if they have been converted to electric power.
That means that if you have a car built after 2001 and you had it converted into an EV, as far as the DVLA is concerned there would be no change to your vehicle’s tailpipe emissions.
Aside from the nonsensical logic behind the outdated laws, any driver of one of these converted EVs still pays the same road tax they were paying on their ICE vehicle.
As Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) become a more familiar sight in the UK’s cities, any driver of a converted EV built after 2001 will still pay the same charges as any ICE vehicle driver.
FairCharge and other voices in the EV conversion industry are calling for changes to these laws. The group wants the UK government to follow the lead of countries like France and the United States, which offer financial incentives to encourage ICE-to-EV conversions.
The group believes that the Treasury could change the law with minimal cost, creating a completely new industry that would generate fresh tax receipts.
FairCharge argues that the UK is being held back in the EV space by archaic legislation like this and wants the government to urgently examine and change the law to stimulate new jobs and green growth.
Justin Lunny, founder and CEO of Everrati, a cutting-edge EV conversion company, said:
“Everrati is fully supportive of FairCharge’s campaign. As a leading business in the
EV ‘re-powering’ space we agree that it’s crucial that policy changes are made to
encourage further innovation and collaboration to future-proof vehicles for
generations to come. A growing ‘re-powering’ industry can only be a good thing for
the U.K and its efforts to electrify transport and will help boost the nascent industry.”
