- UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, addressed the audience at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders annual dinner on Tuesday evening.
- In his speech, Reynolds once again confirmed what Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said last week: that the 2030 ZEV mandate is here to stay – but also outlined what specific flexibilities are going to be made to the mandate to help some manufacturers along.
- The speech comes on the back of the UK government meeting with leaders across the automotive industry, last week.
UK 2030 mandate here to stay, but manufacturers to get flex
Following on from Haigh’s suggestion last week that automakers could be given flexibility in working towards this strictly-staying 2030 date, Reynolds on Tuesday confirmed that these smaller allowances will be made within the framework of the 2030 deadline. Reynolds reiterated that the government is “absolutely committed to our manifesto commitment of a 2030 phase out for new cars powered solely by internal combustion engines”, but added that he had concern about how the current “inherited” ZEV laws were working out at the moment.
On the back of this announcement, the government will launch a consultation with car manufacturers, to pin out exactly what form these so-called flexibilities will take. This consultation will last until January next year, in which a final decision will be made. In the run up to the 100% electric car requirement in 2030, automakers currently need to hit a certain quota every year – that’s currently 22% for 2024, rising to 28% in 2025. One suggestion being floated is that manufacturers can miss these yearly quotas without being penalised, so long as they abide by the final 100% mandate – while Reynolds also raised the idea of EV incentives during his speech.
Despite these changes, the fact that the UK remains committed to the 2030 target for passenger vehicles positions the UK as one of the leaders for EV adoption over the coming years, particularly within Europe – as neighbouring countries within the European Union are still working towards an ICE ban five years later, in 2035.
