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New petrol and diesel ban date leaves car industry with a barrage of questions

The Government’s decision to bring forward a ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars has been attacked by manufacturers and left motoring organisations with a barrage of questions.

So, in the light of that, let’s take a quick look at exactly where we are.

In early February Prime Minister Boris Johnson took the opportunity of a climate change conference launch event to unveil the Government’s latest thinking on diesel and petrol vehicles.

He said the proposed deadline to stop selling new diesel and electric vehicles will come into force in 2035, or earlier than that, if possible.

He also said new hybrids would be banned from sale from that date. Some studies have suggested that hybrids can be as polluting as diesel or petrol vehicles if users do not charge them often enough.

The original expected new vehicle sales deadline, which did not include hybrids, was 2040.

A further development came a week after Mr Johnson’s announcement. During an interview on BBC radio, transport secretary Grant Shapps said the initiative could be introduced by 2032. Whatever the exact date, the government says the scheme will go out for consultation before a decision is finalised.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) reacted to Mr Johnson’s initial statement, suggesting the government had introduced “a date without a plan” and “seemingly moved the goalposts” on a critical issue.

Chief executive Mike Hawes said the organisation needed to “hear how the government plans to fulfil its ambitions in a sustainable way”, which does not undermine the sale of today’s low emission technologies, including hybrids.

He said manufacturers were fully invested in a zero emissions future with 60 plug-in models on the market and a further 34 coming on stream by 2020. But he claimed that demand was still a fraction of sales and it was clear that “accelerating an already very challenging ambition will take more than industry investment”.

The moves were about “market transformation”, yet there was still no clarity on the future of the plug-in car grant. Charging infrastructure was still “woefully” inadequate.

He claimed that, if the UK was to lead the worldwide zero emissions agenda, it needed a competitive marketplace and business environment to encourage manufacturers to sell and build here.

Mr Hawes added that “a date without a plan will merely destroy value today.”

Friends of the Earth has welcomed the government’s action, while saying an earlier target date would have been better.

Mr Johnson unveiled the plan at an event held as part of the launch programme for the United Nations climate summit, called COP26, to be held during November in Glasgow, describing 2020 as a "defining year” of climate action.

Among motoring groups, the AA said drivers supported moves to cut emissions and improve air quality but questioned whether the government’s timescale was practical. AA president Edmund King questioned whether the supply chain would have enough zero emission vehicles to meet demand in less than 15 years. He warned that a ban on hybrids could backfire by prompting people to hold onto their older, more polluting vehicles.

The RAC’s head of roads policy Nicolas Lyes urged the Government to extend the plug-in grant for at least another three years as an incentive to those who want to buy.

Some experts are saying that an announcement on the future of the grant may come in the budget on March 11. Watch this space.

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New petrol and diesel ban date leaves car industry with a barrage of questions