UK Opens EV Mandate Rollback Despite Record Heat, Oil Spike
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- UK government officially launched its EV rules consultation on 8/14, with reporting indicating the 2030 target could be cut from 80% to 50-70% EV sales, despite end-of-2025 EV sales already meeting 2026 targets and BEV sales up 44.5% YoY in July.
- PM Andy Burnham was surveying West Midlands wildfire damage that destroyed 19 homes on the same day the consultation was announced, declaring "Britain is a tinderbox right now" and "This is what climate change looks like."
- UK petrol prices have averaged £1.62/L ($8.21/gal) with diesel reaching £1.92/L ($9.70/gal) due to a five-month war in Iran keeping oil prices elevated, driving sharp increases in solar, EV charger, and heat pump installations since March.
- Ed Miliband, UK environment secretary and architect of net zero policies, was moved to Foreign Secretary by Burnham, with Miatta Fahnbulleh taking the environment post and hinting at a review of the rules.
- Burnham is also reportedly considering expanded North Sea oil drilling, drawing criticism from environmental groups who say both moves would increase emissions that cause the climate change fueling the wildfires.
- UK EV market saw plug-in vehicles reach nearly 40% of new car sales year-to-date, with electric cars now at lower upfront prices than petrol cars thanks to the UK's lack of tariffs on Chinese EVs.
Why it matters: Environmental groups say weakening EV targets while three-fourths of England faces drought and the country burns through record heat waves directly contradicts the climate stance Burnham voiced on the same day — and surrenders EV market share to countries like Australia, Ethiopia, and Nepal that are rapidly electrifying to escape oil-shock vulnerability.
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