Then there’s the inability to even clarify the law itself. The 2030 ban was really a 2035 ban, given the exemption for hybrids with ‘a meaningful electric range’ that remained within it for five years. Remarkably, though, that hybrid exemption was never outlined. We won’t ever know now. Did the government? Unlikely.
This was true too of the ZEV mandate, a rising increase of the proportion of EV sales car makers must hit between now and 2030. Just a few months out from its introduction in 2024, it has yet to be officially set. It was tipped to be released this week, but whether the ZEV mandate now survives is another unknown and one still yet to be confirmed by the Prime Minister. How have car makers been supposed to business plan inventories for next year amid the lack of any clarity on a key regulatory framework with large fines for not hitting it?
This too should be the end of the UK wanting to be seen as a leader in climate change and will seriously dent this country’s standing as a place for businesses to invest in a stable, forward-looking regulatory environment. It’s a softening of what was a world-leading stance on making a switch and businesses are rightly annoyed.
Ford UK boss Lisa Brankin said her business requires “ambition, commitment and consistency” from the government, and the removal of the 2030 ban undermines all three. Again, whatever you think of the ban in the first place, Brankin’s words ring true for the situation we’re in.