ELECTRIC Vehicles UK, a coalition from across the EV industry, is calling for the Government to resist pressure to dilute the effectiveness of its flagship ZEV Mandate in next week’s budget.
EVUK includes manufacturers such as Polestar, Volvo, Tesla, Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, Changan – as well as energy providers, charging, finance and insurance companies like Octopus and OVO. It is working to drive demand for EVs through consumer advocacy, information campaigns and enabling EV experiences through test-drive events across the UK.
The call to protect momentum around the UK’s EV targets comes amidst pre-Budget lobbying for it to be weakened for the second time in 2025. Other potential Budget policy measures also risk undermining business certainty and economic opportunity, despite growing evidence of rising demand for BEVs, it says.
Matt Galvin, Managing Director, Polestar UK (pictured), said: “The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate is a strong framework, which gives certainty and guidance to manufacturers to meet the 2030/35 deadline. Car companies have long product planning lifecycles and now is not the time to change the mandate, to which manufacturers have been planning for many years.
“Whilst weakening the framework is tempting due to mounting pressure from ICE manufacturers, a change in direction will be confusing to consumers who are now ready to seriously consider the switch, and potentially terminal to reaching the deadline.
“Most importantly, we now have the practical technology to remove tailpipe emissions on our roads, ultimately saving lives. EVs are already being accepted by consumers with 1 in 4 cars sold in October being Battery Electric, and with only 1-3% of people returning to fossil fuelled propulsion. With so much investment already committed to EVs by vehicle manufacturers and charging operators and with strong adoption now gaining momentum, holding our course now will deliver on our vital climate goals.”
With new EVs now regularly accounting for more than 25% of all UK car sales, used car sales trending strongly to BEVs, and regular driver surveys showing that more than 9 in 10 EV drivers will never revert to combustion vehicles EVUK says that the UK is on the cusp of being a zero emissions vehicle leader. But to realise its leadership potential, government policies must support, rather than impede, the progress made to date.
Dan Caesar, Founder, Electric Vehicles UK added: “Tweaks to the ZEV Mandate earlier this year, have already been estimated to have cost up to 2 million battery EV sales (out of 6 million) by 2030, and the damage done to the embryonic EV sector has been substantial.
“To further dilute the targets, when industry as a whole is on track to meet them, and only because one or two legacy manufacturers have not heeded the inevitability of electrification, could be catastrophic for the industry, its adjacent sectors, and for the UK’s economic growth. Data shows ‘electrification’ is a global megatrend that the UK must take advantage of, ahead of a generationally consequential general election in a few years’ time.”
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