- A group of UK companies within Climate Group’s ‘EV100’ membership have made a joint call for the UK industry as a whole to step up its positive messaging on electric vehicles, to drive adoption.
- The companies making the joint call include BT, Openreach, Mitie, OVO, Zenith, and Grundfos – all UK firms that already operate electrified fleets in significant numbers.
- The announcement comes as the Department for Transport consultation on the ZEV mandate comes to a close at the end of the 18th of February – with the Labour government previously mulling bringing forward a 2035 ban on new pure petrol and diesel passenger cars to 2030.
Major UK firms call for EV push
The announcement comes at a pivotal time, with the Department for Transport ending its ZEV mandate consultation on the 18th of February. Over the next few weeks, we’re likely to hear more from the government on what – if any – changes will be made to the mandate. Many in the industry are hoping that the deadline on new pure petrol and diesel car sales will be brought forward from 2035 to 2030.
This group of fleet operators have not been the only ones calling for more to be done to boost EV adoption in the country today. UK charging industry lobby group, ChargeUK, have also urged the government to maintain the current ZEV mandate, and called for several policy changes to further encourage electric car uptake – warning that a change in policy could harm the UK’s currently impressive rate of public charging growth.
Alex Thwaites, Director of EVs at OVO, said:
“We need to work together to make it easier for people to switch to EVs. While we have progressed in recent years, there needs to be more incentives from the Government, such as better charging infrastructure and green financing options for EVs, to accelerate the adoption of EVs if it is serious about the ZEV Mandate.”
Peter Dickinson, Chief Legal Officer at Mitie, added:
“Now is the time to ramp up the transition to EVs, and we fully support a strong national effort to make that happen. As one of the UK’s largest electric fleet operators, with over 6,000 EVs, Mitie has been a driving force in this shift to green transport, but a national mission is needed to enable the UK to meet its 80% EV by 2030 target. Encouraging other businesses and communities on this journey will unlock even greater investment, create green jobs, and strengthen the UK’s position as a leader in clean transport.”
ElectricDrives and Green.TV have already been on the forefront of positive EV messaging this year, launching The Better Manifesto. This aims to communicate the clear technological advancements across the EV sector, and highlight the multitude of ways EVs are better than their ICE predecessors: Better for the environment, better for your wallet, better for your health, and better to drive.
