Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of electric vehicle sales targets following reports that Vauxhall are considering closing a plant in Luton.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We are alive to the global challenges the industry is facing, which is why we’re investing £2 billion to support the transition of domestic manufacturing, and over £300 million announced in the Budget to drive uptake of electric vehicles, as we continue to work closely with the sector to make the transition a success.
We remain committed to phasing out the sale of new cars powered solely by internal combustion engines by 2030, and we will soon bring forward a consultation which will consider how to support industry to reach this phase out date.
Asked by: Lord Offord of Garvel (Reform UK - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that manufacturing jobs are not lost as a result of electric vehicle sales quotas.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We will continue to support industry and consumers to make the switch to zero emission vehicles, with over £300 million announced in the Budget to drive uptake of electric vehicles and £2 billion to support the transition of domestic manufacturing and supply chain.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the number of sales of electric vehicles in the last 12 months.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The total number of EVs registered in the UK continues to increase, amidst a growing overall market. Just under 270,000 battery electric cars have been sold so far this year, according to industry statistics, 13% higher than the number sold this time last year. The battery electric vehicle share of the new car market in the year to date is 17.8%, and in the month of September 2024 this was 20.5% - a record high.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the zero emissions vehicle mandate on fuel duty revenues between (a) 2025 and 2030, (b) 2030 and 2040 and (c) 2040 and 2050.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate requires 80% of all new cars to be zero emission by 2030. There will be no sales of new pure combustion engine cars from 2030 under the Government's plans, and more details on specific 2030-35 requirements for both cars and vans will be set out shortly.
The shift to zero emission electric vehicles (EVs) is crucial for decarbonising the transport sector and tackling climate change, while injecting billions of pounds worth of investment into our economy and creating high skilled jobs.
As this shift progresses, fuel duty revenues will start to decline, as set out by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in their September 2024 Fiscal Risks and Sustainability report and November 2023 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. Full forecasts for fuel duty revenue over the next five years, certified by the OBR, will be published at Budget on 30 October.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is her policy to ban the sale of new (a) petrol and (b) diesel vehicles from 2030.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is committed to delivering greener transport by accelerating the transition to electric vehicles. As set out in our manifesto, there will be no sales of new pure combustion engine cars from 2030 under our plans. We will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) new and (b) used electric vehicles bought in the last 12 months.
Answered by Anthony Browne
In the 12 months from October 2022 to September 2023 inclusive (the latest period for which published data are available), there were 357,021 new registrations of battery electric vehicles in the UK. The total number of new registrations for all fuel types in this same period was 2,413,737.
These data are published in table VEH1153 available here, and a full 2023 update will be available later this month:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tables
The department does not hold data on the number of used vehicle sales.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for plug-in vehicle grants to private cars.
Answered by Anthony Browne
There are now over a million battery electric cars registered in the UK, and their sales continue to grow. The Government is targeting its incentives where they have the most impact and deliver the greatest value for money. Plug-in Grants will continue until at least financial year 2024/25 for motorcycles, vans, taxis, trucks and wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to implement third-party certification to ensure e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries are approved by an independent body before being available for sale.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Government takes consumer protection very seriously and is concerned about the frequency of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes and e-scooters. Products must be safe before being placed on the UK market.
Working across Government we are taking action against unsafe products and have issued guidance on the safe use of these products. We are also seeking to better understand the root causes of these incidents and have commissioned research from the Warwick Manufacturing Group (part of Warwick University).
This research will help inform the position moving forward including the interaction between batteries and chargers, and the suitability of third-party conformity assessment to tackle this complex issue.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address any misinformation surrounding electric vehicles; and what consideration they have given to reintroducing incentives for purchasing electric cars.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
As committed in the Plan for Drivers, the Government has published factual information on electric vehicle (EVs) and EV charging infrastructure, to address misinformation surrounding EVs.
Due to the success of the Plug-in Car Grant in driving the growth of the EV market, the Government is now targeting its incentives toward charging infrastructure and grants for harder to transition vehicles. In June 2022, the Government published a public evaluation report, highlighting that while the plug-in car grant was vital in building the early market for EVs, it had since been having less of an effect on demand.
The Government continues to provide tax incentives to encourage the uptake of EVs. EVs currently pay zero rates of VED and from 2025, they will continue to have preferential first year rates in comparison to the most polluting vehicles. Favourable rates of company car tax for EVs have been confirmed out to April 2028.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2024 to Question 11316 on Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the reduction in the plug-in motorcycle grant on the number of sales of electric-powered light vehicles.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The Plug-in Motorcycle Grant (PIMG) remains open to applications for L1e (mopeds) and L3e (motorcycles) category vehicles until at least the end of the current financial year.
Government grants have been available for over a decade to help reduce the up-front purchase price of electric vehicles. Since the introduction of the PIMG in 2011, the market shares for L1e category vehicles and L3e category vehicles have increased to 40.6% and 3.3% respectively. All the Plug-in Vehicle Grants remain under continual review by the Government to ensure they deliver the greatest value for money to the taxpayer.