UK – The UK motor industry is being consulted over how the phasing-out of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 will work, the government has announced. The ban on sales of these vehicles had been extended to 2035 under the previous Conservative government but Labour said it would restore the 2030 deadline in its election manifesto.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is now seeking views from automotive and charging experts to “restore clarity” on how to deliver the ban. Car industry leaders have warned drivers were not switching to electric vehicles at the rate needed to meet the deadline due to the cost of buying the cars privately and charging point infrastructure.

Last month, Ford said the UK government’s mandate to produce and sell more electric vehicles (EVs) “just doesn’t work” without demand. Lisa Brankin, Ford UK’s chair and managing director, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The one thing that we really need is government-backed incentives to urgently boost the uptake of electric vehicles.”

The Department for Transport said the consultation would “restore clarity for vehicle manufacturers and the charging industry” so they “have the confidence to invest in the UK in the long term and drive growth in the UK automotive industry”.

The government said the consultation would be part of a “wider push” to make it easier and cheaper to charge electric cars. There are now more than 72,000 public charging points in the UK, with another 100,000 planned by local authorities across England, it said. EVs made up one in four cars sold in the UK, Alexander said. Edmund King, president of the AA, said drivers have been “hesitant about the transition but not hostile” but the consultation would bring more clarity and certainty. (BBC)