𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Ed Miliband has been told to make one move amid demands for the UK to scrap its petrol and diesel car ban. As Energy Secretary, Mr Miliband oversees the UK’s zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate rules, which drive the transition away from petrol and diesel combustion cars. The Secretary of State has previously called for an acceleration of the transition to electric vehicles, and is a big backer of the UK’s net-zero targets. Under the ZEV Mandate rules, manufacturers are told to produce a certain number of electric cars each year, with the 2026 goal set at 33% of output.

This slowly increases each year, until all brand new petrol and diesel models, minus some exemptions, are no longer sold. The ban has come under pressure in recent weeks with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), as well as politicians, calling for a review. However, EV experts have urged ministers to hold their nerve and not to make quick decisions which they say could backfire.

Speaking to the Express, Tanya Sinclair, CEO of Electric Vehicles UK said: “Government doesn’t need to rewrite the ZEV Mandate every few months. It needs to hold its nerve. The targets are set. The direction is clear. Now let the companies investing billions into EVs, batteries, charging and UK jobs get on with delivering the transition.

“Every time ministers tweak policy, dilute commitments or signal another rethink, they don’t create confidence, they create hesitation. Among motorists certainly, But, also among the manufacturers, investors and supply chain businesses deciding where to place the next generation of capital technology and employment. Consistency is now the policy, The industry needs stability, not another round of uncertainty.”

This week, the Business and Trade Committee, has written an open letter to the Department for Transport questioning the ZEV Mandate rules. They suggested that under its current design, the ZEV Mandate poses significant risks to the UK automotive sector, as they urged the Government to bring forward a review of rules.

Ginny Buckley, chief executive of Electrifying.com stressed that now was the wrong time to rip up the policy completely.

She said: “The real risk to Britain’s car industry isn’t the transition to electric cars, it’s hesitating at the crossroads.

“Car buyers need consistent messaging, not policy wobbles and at a time when global instability is pushing up energy costs and prices at the pumps, doubling down on electrification is the smartest economic and energy security decision Britain can make.”