A ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars in the United Kingdom should be in place by 2032 in order to boost the country's electric vehicles (EV) market, the UK Parliament's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee said in a report on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) A ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars in the United Kingdom should be in place by 2032 in order to boost the country's electric vehicles (EV) market, the UK Parliament's business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee said in a report on Friday.
Under the current UK government's plans, all the new cars and vans in the country should be "effectively zero-emission" by 2040, while the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee slams this goal as "vague and unambitious," stipulating that the ban should be introduced by 2032.
"If the Government is genuinely committed to leading the EV transition and meeting its decarbonisation targets, it needs to promote investment in this new technology by clarifying and increasing the ambition of its sales targets. We recommend that the Government bring forwards a clear, precise target for new sales of cars and vans to be truly zero emission by 2032," the report read.
The lawmakers noted that lack of EV charging points was a major barrier to the EV market growth. The committee is calling on the government to promote more financial and technical support for local authorities across the country in order to develop the target infrastructure.
"The Government cannot simply will the ends and leave local government, or private companies, to deliver the means. The Government needs to get a grip and lead on coordinating the financial support and technical know-how necessary for local authorities to promote this infrastructure and help ensure that electric cars are an attractive option for consumers," Rachel Reeves, the committee chair, said as quoted on the UK parliament's website.
If the 2040 target remains in place, the United Kingdom will be left behind a number of countries aspiring to ban petrol car sales earlier, with Norway setting the goal to do so by 2025, and India, China, the Netherlands and Ireland having a 2030 goal.
