Motoring with Peter Vosper: Net zero review urges swift delivery of Government’s EV sales mandate

The move to compel manufacturers to sell a certain number of zero-emission vehicles and a reduction in VAT on public charge points - to bring them in line with home chargers - are among 129 recommendations from the review into how net zero can be achieved by 2050.

Chris Skidmore, chair of the Net Zero Review, said there was 'no time to waste' in setting policies that would accelerate the UK towards its climate goals.

Chris said: “My recommendations are designed to make the most of this historic opportunity covering the length and breadth of our economy so that people in every part of the country can reap the benefits of this both in their communities, and in their pockets.”

The review highlighted that although the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' new registration data showed the combined market share of EVs and plug-in hybrids reached 22.9 per cent last year, the majority of sales had been 'concentrated among higher earners'.

MyEngergi research found that EVs charged at home will continue to benefit from lower running costs than their petrol equivalents unless the price at the pumps drops below £1 per litre.

The Net Zero Review highlighted the FairCharge campaign’s call for the government to cut VAT on public chargers, which currently stands at 20 per cent. It also said the development of the UK’s charging infrastructure should not be left to private companies alone.

The review’s research showed that at the start of October 2022, the UK had almost 35,000 public EV charge points, with more than 1,200 new rapid chargers and over 5,000 new standard chargers installed during the first nine months of the year.

With nearly 250,000 new plug-in registrations during the same period, that is just one new standard public charger installed for every 50 new plug-in electric vehicle registrations.

Tesla have played their part in addressing the issues by reducing the price of some of its most popular electric cars by thousands of pounds as it faced increased competition from other car makers.

New UK buyers will save £5,500 on an entry level Model 3 and £7,000 on the cheapest Model Y.

More than 16,000 customers bought those best-selling models last year and some were angry they had paid more.

When demand for Tesla cars far exceeded supply, it could maintain prices at what Elon Musk himself described as 'embarrassing levels'.

This move will exacerbate the fall in used Tesla prices, which had already fallen by more than 20 per cent last year.

We wait to see the affect this will have on other manufacturers as if electric car sales are going to meet government targets, they will have to become affordable to more motorists and have better infrastructure for charging.