It has been confirmed by Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, that the prohibition on the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles would be postponed. Phil Curry, a special content editor for Autovista24, evaluates the circumstance and responses from all segments of the automobile business.
In the automobile sector, there have been a variety of reactions to the announcement that the United Kingdom will postpone the ban on the sale of new diesel and gasoline-powered cars until 2035. But where did this prohibition come from?
The prohibition on gasoline and diesel-powered new cars was originally set for 2040, but in February 2020, it was moved up to 2035.Later that year, the country’s then-prime minister Boris Johnson declared that the sale of new ICE (internal combustion engine) only models would end in 2030 and that, starting in 2035, only vehicles with zero emissions would be marketed as new. However, the ban has been delayed in a number of net-zero objective adjustments stated by Rishi Sunak.
It is significant to highlight the fact that this does not imply a delay in the UK’s transition to new-car sales restricted to zero-emission vehicles. The initial ban of 2030 served as a transitional period before battery-electric cars (BEVs) and fuel cells electric vehicles (FCEVs) dominated the new-car market exclusively by 2035. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) continue to be available after five years.
The official government statement announcing the new policies, which was not mentioned in the speaker’s speech, reads: “Under modified plans, the federal government will be bringing back the ban on selling of new diesel and petrol automobiles by a period of five years, so all sales of automobiles manufactured from 2035 will have zero emission.” Families will be allowed to decide if they want to wait to benefit from the future decade’s declining pricing.
Prior to Sunak’s announcement, EV-volumes.com (a division of the Autovista Group) predicted that BEV registrations in the UK will reach 1.95 million by 2030, with an 82% market share. According to this prediction, the proportion of ICE vehicles will fall between 45.1% in 2023 to a mere 4.7% by the year’s end of 2029, which is when the ban was supposed to go into force.
This sharp decline may now be slowed until 2035. However, there is a lot of discussion regarding the effect the shift will have given the rise of zero-emission cars on the market and improvements to the UK’s charging infrastructure.
Concerns regarding the unpredictability of governmental backing for the car industry have arisen as a result of the developments. The latest delay heightens concerns about the impending 2024 Rules of Origin deadline and the absence of the anticipated Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, which is scheduled to take effect in less than 100 days.
Mikes Hawes, CEO of the Association of Automotive Makers and Traders (SMMT), brought up these concerns and urged the government to provide clarification when he spoke at the most recent SMMT Electrified conference.
Manufacturers will keep releasing cutting-edge new products, but more than ever, customers need incentives to buy. hesitant customers the confidence to switch, today’s announcement needs to be supported with a package of alluring incentives and steps to speed up charging infrastructure. Markets are moved by carrots rather than sticks.
Ford has also criticized the action, and the UK is one of its main markets. In order to create room for a new lineup of electric cars at the conclusion of the intended 2030 date, the automaker declared the end of manufacturing of the Fiesta, which was the best-selling car in the UK.