Helping more drivers understand the benefits of going electric is essential if the UK is to meet its ZEV ambitions so government’s new public campaign launched last week is timely and welcome – helping encourage consumer confidence by cutting through persistent myths while setting out the many advantages that EVs offer.
It will highlight the massive vehicle choice on offer too, with more than 160 different EV models across all segments. But while clear information is vital, so are meaningful signals that give motorists no doubt now is the time to switch.
The Electric Car Grant is helping but manufacturers are still having to provide billions in EV discounts, with an unparalleled £5 billion spent last year alone. This is patently unsustainable. Furthermore, the impact of government and industry investment will be diminished by a new disincentive – the proposed eVED tax. With EV demand below the levels targeted by the ZEV mandate last year, and this year’s target even steeper, a review of the transition – looking at demand as well as cost and the broader ecosystem – must be brought forward to ensure ambition aligns with natural market demand.
The importance of market decarbonisation is undoubted, but the UK must also ensure it remains a place for making vehicles. That requires a business environment that safeguards our existing manufacturing base while attracting new investment, with local battery output particularly important to underpin future EV production.
Last week’s report by the UK Commission on Gigafactories includes some welcome recommendations for Britain to compete globally, including lower energy costs, skills support and investment in critical materials and recycling, all of which are essential if we are to produce the 1.3 million vehicles by 2035 envisaged in the Industrial Strategy.
