Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the competitiveness of the UK in major electric vehicle production investments over the last year; and if he will make a statement.

Our mission is to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. The Road to Zero Strategy sets out a clear pathway to zero emissions, to give clarity and certainty to both industry and motorists.

In 2017, 1 in 8 battery electric cars sold in Europe was made in the UK; in the first half of 2018 this figure reached 1 in 5. In 2017 the UK was the second largest market for ULEVs in the EU and third largest in Europe as a whole.

By 2030 we want at least half of new cars sold, and as many as 70%, to be ultra low emission, alongside up to 40% of new vans. To achieve this, we are investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles, and schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets.

Along with the additional measures in our Industrial Strategy Automotive Sector Deal published in January, this adds up to one of the most comprehensive support packages in the world for the transition to zero emission vehicles.