Lords Committee call for an ‘essential’ rapid recharge of UK’s EV strategy

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The Environment and Climate Change Committee has reported that a successful transition to EVs is essential if the government is to meet its legally binding net zero target by 2050.

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The new report, ‘EV strategy: rapid recharge needed’, was published today (6 February, 2024) by the authority of the House of Lords.

The UK government has committed to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035 and the Committee said there has been some welcome progress towards this target.

The government’s Zero Emission Vehicles mandate, requiring manufacturers to sell an increasing proportion of EVs each year, was introduced in December 2023, and there has also been some progress in the rollout of the UK’s charging infrastructure and the recent publication of strategies to enhance UK innovation and manufacturing.

However, the new report claims that progress is not happening fast enough and major barriers remain.

The report found that EVs make up three per cent of all cars currently on UK roads, that EVs are still more expensive than petrol and diesel cars, and that the availability of public chargepoints across the UK is highly variable.

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