Monday 10 September 2018

Theresa May ‘must step up EV support’

Theresa May must step up support for electric vehicles (EVs).

That's according to a collective of businesses, trade organisations and charities, including Energy UK, WWF Sky and Aviva, which say more ambition is needed on delivering low carbon transport.

The group welcomes the recently announced Road to Zero strategy but urges the government to go further by accelerating the phase-out of new petrol and diesel vehicles and ensuring electric vehicle sales targets and policies are supportive.

It calls for short-term barriers to EV uptake to be eliminated by addressing the "cliff-edge" in company car benefit-in-kind tax rates which serve to disincentive zero-emission uptake before 2020/21.

Lawrence Slade, CEO of Energy UK, said: "Taking the right action now would show clear global leadership and enable the UK to continue to be a leading market for low carbon transport.

"Energy UK has long been calling for the government to go further and faster to encourage a mass uptake of electric vehicles to the benefit of our environment, the economy and consumers."

ELN has contacted BEIS for a response.