The 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars is back. The Labour government has pledged to restore the original 2030 ban on ICE vehicles. At the time of writing, it’s raised more questions than answers.
The 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars is back. The Labour government has pledged to restore the original 2030 ban on ICE vehicles. At the time of writing, it’s raised more questions than answers.
While we can’t make good business decisions based on headline-grabbing statements, what does give an excellent indication as to the kinds of cars we’re going to be seeing in our workshops in the coming years is the existing zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which remains unchanged. It sets limits on the number of non-ZEVs that VMs can sell each year. This year, 22 per cent of VM sales are required to be ZEVs. Given the lack of hydrogen cars and sustainable fuels, it effectively means that 22 per cent must be battery electric. Annual increases will see that ratio climb to 33 per cent in 2026, 52 per cent in 2028 and 80 per cent in 2030.
As for charging concerns, Keir Starmer has said his government will accelerate the deployment of public charging infrastructure by providing local authorities with “better guidance” on where to install charge points and how to make better use of the funds available to them. He’s also pledged to invest £1.5 billion to build EV ‘gigafactories’ but the focus isn’t just on new EVs. Giving secondhand EV buyers reassurance, there are plans to “standardise” an EV battery health check at point of sale – imagine the opportunity here for workshops primed to offer battery repairs.
And even if those deep-dive EV repairs aren’t for you, MOT repairs certainly will be. Some 205,700 EVs were registered on our roads by 2020, increasing to 396,500 in 2021. These are EVs that have now come of MOT age. By 2022, more than 663,700 BEVs were registered, increasing to 978,400 in 2023 and 1.1 million so far this year. And let’s not forget about that zero emission mandate. There’s going to be a lot more EVs to come yet.
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