Rishi Sunak delays ban on new petrol and diesel cars

Most people in the UK (and across Europe) are largely supportive of the net-zero agenda - until they stop to consider what it actually involves in terms of the up-front costs at a time of squeezed living standards.

But on the particular issue of electric cars, it is going to be very difficult for politicians who oppose the switch to a 2035 deadline when this is the date that has been adopted in most other European countries. If, as early reports suggest, the Labour Party commits to reinstating 2030, it will cost it votes and possibly even threaten its chances of obtaining a majority in the forthcoming general election.

Before Mr Sunak's announcement, I had yet to speak to anyone who thought that 2030 was viable.

A snap YouGov poll taken yesterday showed significantly more support for the change than opposition to it (50% to 34%).

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2023/09/20/6d4f1/1

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 4

hotpud

18

Original post by Talkative Toad

I think that electric cars need to be made cheaper, or even better, improve public transport and make it affordable and efficient to use as I keep saying.

The government doesn’t seem to want to do this.

Agreed.

OP

Original post by hotpud

Agreed.

I can’t see how they expect us to cough up the money or time to go greener if they aren’t willing to do either of these things.

Reply 6

Original post by Supermature

Before Mr Sunak's announcement, I had yet to speak to anyone who thought that 2030 was viable.

A snap YouGov poll taken yesterday showed significantly more support for the change than opposition to it (50% to 34%).

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2023/09/20/6d4f1/1

Seems you've not met 1 in 3 of the population?

I don't own a car, so I see it as perfectly viable.

Reply 7

Original post by Quady

Seems you've not met 1 in 3 of the population?

I don't own a car, so I see it as perfectly viable.

We obviously move in very different circles.

But you inadvertently raise an interesting point.

In August 2023, 20% of all new vehicle registrations were electric, with 17,243 new electric cars registered. In 2022, 16.6% of new car registrations were purely electric. That might suggest that a significant proportion of those who support the 2030 deadline (which may or may not include your good self) do not actually own a car and therefore do not have a direct interest in the the proposed change to 2035. Of course, it is equally possible that many non car owners will conclude that it is highly unlikely that the charging infrastructure necessary to support the changeover to all electric vehicles will be in place by 2030.

Reply 8

Original post by Supermature

We obviously move in very different circles.

But you inadvertently raise an interesting point.

In August 2023, 20% of all new vehicle registrations were electric, with 17,243 new electric cars registered. In 2022, 16.6% of new car registrations were purely electric. That might suggest that a significant proportion of those who support the 2030 deadline (which may or may not include your good self) do not actually own a car and therefore do not have a direct interest in the the proposed change to 2035. Of course, it is equally possible that many non car owners will conclude that it is highly unlikely that the charging infrastructure necessary to support the changeover to all electric vehicles will be in place by 2030.

How is it obvious? I merely used your figures.

Perhaps they do, as do I for example, but find it pretty irrelevant. Without the 'charging infrastructure necessary' I still only see positives of a ban for me as a non-car owning household.

Reply 9

Original post by Quady

How is it obvious? I merely used your figures.

Perhaps they do, as do I for example, but find it pretty irrelevant. Without the 'charging infrastructure necessary' I still only see positives of a ban for me as a non-car owning household.

My comment was: "We obviously move in very different circles".

It should be obvious how it's obvious!

If you recall, what I actually said was: "Before Mr Sunak's announcement, I had yet to speak to anyone who thought that 2030 was viable." Apparently, you had. So we move in very different circles.

I had, however, discussed the issue with a number of people who believe that the 2030 date was desirable - but not actually viable.

I take it that you meant that even "Without the 'charging infrastructure necessary' I still only see positives of a ban for me as a non-car owning household." That seems a little hard on those individuals who, for whatever reason (disabilities, living in sparsely populated areas and so on), rely heavily on their cars and are worried about being able to recharge an electric vehicle or whether the vehicle would have a sufficient mileage range to meet their needs.

Reply 10

Captain Haddock

18

I don't think these changes are particularly significant. It's really just yet another example of Tories completely failing to meet their own targets. Sunak's speech was an attempt to a) dress up this failure as 'the sensible path' and a 'new honest politics', and b) pander to the anti-green contingent - a strategy validated, in his eyes, by the Uxbridge by-election. Hence his rattling off of a litany of absurd, non-existent plans that he has supposedly now scrapped. And it seems to have worked reasonably well. Lots of people out there under the mistaken impression that they were going to be forced to buy electric cars. Come election time we'll be getting told that these formerly Tory policies, supported by Conservative voters when they put these clowns in parliament, are in fact a perfidious Labourite ploy to steal your car and bankrupt your household.

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 11

Original post by Supermature

My comment was: "We obviously move in very different circles".

It should be obvious how it's obvious!

If you recall, what I actually said was: "Before Mr Sunak's announcement, I had yet to speak to anyone who thought that 2030 was viable." Apparently, you had. So we move in very different circles.

I had, however, discussed the issue with a number of people who believe that the 2030 date was desirable - but not actually viable.

I take it that you meant that even "Without the 'charging infrastructure necessary' I still only see positives of a ban for me as a non-car owning household." That seems a little hard on those individuals who, for whatever reason (disabilities, living in sparsely populated areas and so on), rely heavily on their cars and are worried about being able to recharge an electric vehicle or whether the vehicle would have a sufficient mileage range to meet their needs.

I'm just confused how your circles don't include anyone from 34% of the population (as according to your source).. perhaps you have small circles.

Those people aren't me. As in I'm not in either of those two minority groups you've cited. I suspect they'd have their own point of view, which might or might not be the same as my own.

Reply 12

Original post by Quady

I'm just confused how your circles don't include anyone from 34% of the population (as according to your source).. perhaps you have small circles.

Those people aren't me. As in I'm not in either of those two minority groups you've cited. I suspect they'd have their own point of view, which might or might not be the same as my own.

The 34% figure referred to those who "strongly opposed" or "somewhat opposed" delaying the ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035 in the snap YouGov poll as compared to 50% who strongly or somewhat supported the delay. That's not quite the same as questioning the viability of the 2030 date.

Reply 13

Fullofsurprises

Can I just say, I would absolutely love it if there was a meat tax and if recycling was a genuinely intensive and well planned and funded activity in the UK sufficient to be able to split the waste into as many as seven main streams for handling.

Reply 14

Fullofsurprises

Original post by Talkative Toad

I think that electric cars need to be made cheaper, or even better, improve public transport and make it affordable and efficient to use as I keep saying.

The government doesn’t seem to want to do this.

EVs have been getting cheaper, maybe not fast enough, but there's a clear trend.

The bigger issues with EVs are global and of course surround the mining and processing of sufficient materials such as Lithium crucial to battery manufacture and the intensification of battery technology research. From what I've read, I'm still not convinced that battery-electric vehicles are really the best way to go.

Reply 15

Scotney

The reality is you could still have bought a petrol or diesel car in Dec 2029 and driven it for 15 more years under the 2030 scheme.This is just Sunak getting more backhanders from the fossil fuel companies both for his party and for his family.It also plays will with the uninformed members of the electorate like banning seven bins and car sharing !However this policy is going to cost the country billions in not leading the way with renewables and buisness leaders are furious as they have planned for 2030.More companies will now go elsewhere as you cannot run a business in a country which keeps moving the goalposts in terms of future planning.

Reply 16

Original post by Supermature

The 34% figure referred to those who "strongly opposed" or "somewhat opposed" delaying the ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035 in the snap YouGov poll as compared to 50% who strongly or somewhat supported the delay. That's not quite the same as questioning the viability of the 2030 date.

Sounds like semantics...

Reply 17

Zarek

21

It’s beyond the pale. Without aggressive action climate change is likely to **** us over. The deadline was incentivising innovation and shouldn’t have been extended. Hopefully the last roll of the dice

Reply 18

Original post by Zarek

It’s beyond the pale. Without aggressive action climate change is likely to **** us over. The deadline was incentivising innovation and shouldn’t have been extended. Hopefully the last roll of the dice

Assuming the delay to 2035 goes ahead, this would only put us in line with the EU, except insofar as the EU has left open the option of allowing internal combustion engine cars powered by synthetic fuel. (I have not seen any reference to the use of synthetic fuels here in the UK).

https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/03/22/eu-to-ban-petrol-and-diesel-cars-by-2035-heres-why-some-countries-are-pushing-back

If the UK, with a population of 67 million, banned petrol and diesel cars in 2030 would it really make that much difference to climate change if the EU, with 448 million inhabitants, carried on until 2035?

Reply 19