Andy Burnham moves to cut new EV sales targets
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- UK government launched a consultation Friday proposing to cut the ZEV mandate target from 80% to as little as 50% of new car sales in 2030, with options including 70%, 60%, or leaving it unchanged
- Heidi Alexander, transport secretary, said targets needed to "remain pro-business and grounded in the real world," citing industry warnings of job losses or UK factory closures under current rules
- ECIU analysis found the most extreme 50% option could reduce EV sales by up to 5.8 million and make the 2035 new petrol and diesel car ban harder to achieve
- UK EV sales rose 29% this year, with electric cars accounting for a quarter of all sales in the first seven months — a level the New Automotive thinktank estimates will easily avoid manufacturer fines for 2025
- Greenpeace UK's Ami McCarthy called weakening the rules "a wrong turn for drivers, energy security, our climate and the economy," while ECIU's Colin Walker flagged the timing: "the day after temperatures hit 38C"
- ChargeUK polling by YouGov found 53% of respondents want the EV transition to continue at the same pace or accelerate, while only 37% want it slowed — and lobby group boss Delvin Lane warned softening the mandate now "risks spooking" the private capital behind the UK charging network
Why it matters: The UK's Climate Change Committee calls the EV switch the single biggest contributor to cutting UK carbon pollution in the next decade. Weakening the mandate could add millions of tonnes of CO2 annually — announced hours after Britain hit 38°C and West Midlands homes burned in drought-fed grassfires. The consultation runs until 23 October, and the 2035 ban could also be delayed.
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