MAJOR car brands could be slapped with huge fines from today as new rules governing the production of electric cars come into force.
The Department for Transport has confirmed that the Government’s new Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate will come into force across the UK.
Alamy2HGG6EG Car bodies are on assembly line. Factory for production of cars. Modern automotive industry[/caption]
Developed alongside devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the mandate will require a 22% share of new vehicles sold by any manufacturer in this country to be ZEVs.
The threshold will then rise each year, eventually reaching £100 in 2035.
Non-compliance will see car makers forced to pay a fine of £15,000 for every polluting vehicle above the limit that is sold.
For example, if a brand missed its target by 100 units, they would be required to pay a whopping £1,500,000 penalty.
A similar requirement is also being brought in for van sales, though at a lower starting point of 10%.
The move seemingly largely nullifies PM Rishi Sunak’s decision to delay the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035, announced in September, as manufacturers will have to make 80% of their output zero-emission by the former deadline anyway.
Technology and Decarbonisation minister Anthony Browne said: “Alongside us having spent more than £2 billion in the transition to electric vehicles, our zero-emission vehicle mandate will further boost the economy and support manufacturers to safeguard skilled British jobs in the automotive industry.
“We are providing investment certainty for the charging sector to expand our charging network, which has already grown by 44% since this time last year.
“This will support the constantly growing number of EVs in the UK, which currently account for over 16% of the new UK car market.”
And Akira Kirton, the vice president of charging provider BP Pulse, added that the new rules would “instil confidence” in the future of EVs.
Mr Kirton also reaffirmed the company’s plans to invest £1 billion over the next 10 years to improve charging infrastructure.
However, there are concerns among critics that this will not keep up with the enforced pace of EV adoption as it was revealed this week that the Government had missed its target for the installation of rapid chargers near motorways.
The RAC confirmed that just 39% of the 119 sites targeted by the DfT met the standard of six rapid or ultra-rapid chargers that was meant to be reached by the end of 2023, based on data from ZapMap
The Department responded by saying: “The number of public charge points is surging across the country and around 96% of motorway services now offer charging facilities for drivers.
“As well as our £70m pilot to help roll out ultra-rapid charge points on motorways, we are driving forward the biggest reforms to our electricity grid since the 1950s – halving the time it takes to build networks and speeding up connections.”