Government must go further to win EV arms race, says BVRLA

The automotive leasing and rental industry has called for ambitious policy measures to help support a new Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate, which the Government is expected to introduce in 2024.

The Government is due to publish its long-awaited Net Zero Strategy soon that will announce a consultation for the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate that would incentivise car manufacturers to steadily increase sales of electric vehicles towards the 2030 ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles.

The ZEV mandate would then be implemented in 2024 following a successful consultation.

Gerry Keaney, British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) chief executive, said: “The UK is in an EV arms race with the rest of the world and the Government believes a ZEV mandate will secure the millions of battery electric vehicle (BEV) imports it needs to meet its ambitious phase-out deadline.

“We look forward to helping policymakers’ deliver a simple and effective scheme.”

However, Keaney said it will be vital that any ZEV mandate includes “a review mechanism to assess potential market failures”.

He said the mandate must also take account of the very different uptake trajectories seen between cars and vans.

Keaney added: “A ZEV mandate is all about maintaining EV supply, and it needs to be backed up by some equally ambitious policy measures aimed at delivering electric vehicle demand.

“We hope that next week’s Budget will see the Government commit to providing long-term financial support and tax incentives that will accelerate the roll-out of public and private charging infrastructure and absorb the price premium that many prospective EV users are still faced with.”