PRA outlines forecourts' concerns with 2035 combustion engine ban proposal
PRA 30/07/2020
“Ending the sale of new petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars and vans by 2035 or earlier would not only be unfeasible but seriously economically damaging, particularly at a time when the economy is struggling to recover from the Coronavirus lockdown. The original date of 2040 is already a very tough ask”, said Brian Madderson, Chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA). In response to the Government’s proposal to end the sale of new petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars and vans by 2035, the PRA highlighted the barriers to achieving this and the impacts it would have on different sectors of industry and society. These include:
Brian Madderson added, “In addition to the numerous challenges facing businesses and consumers, banning the sale of hybrids will be counterproductive to achieving the policy’s goals. It will remove an important bridge between the internal combustion engine focused automotive market and the market for electric vehicles. People who take long journeys will be incentivised to keep their internal combustion engine vehicles running for as long as possible. “Going forward, measures to reduce the cost of EVs for the consumer will be essential. Grants and tax incentives will also be required to take investing in EV infrastructure at petrol filling stations from a speculative and risky endeavour to one that has a solid business case. “There are over 100,000 people employed in petrol filling stations across the country and the current policy would inevitably encourage the closure of petrol stations and lead to consequent job losses across the sector. “The Government must have a coherent strategy to address the significant barriers to the adoption of EVs or even the original 2040 policy will be extremely difficult to implement”.
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About the RMI
The Retail Motor Industry represents the interests of operators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man providing sales and services to motorists and businesses. The RMI has a formal association with the independent Scottish Motor Trade Association which represents the retail motor industry in Scotland.