Britain’s targets for car, van and heavy commercials electrification

About 80 per cent of cars, 75 per cent of vans and close to two-thirds of heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) on Britain’s roads should be electric within 15 years. That is according to the British Government’s independent climate advisers.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says that if it is to achieve this, the market share of new electric cars would need to increase from the 16 per cent it was in 2023 to 55 per cent by 2027. In the same datelines, electric vans would need to increase from six to 34 per cent in two years time.

There appears to be no role forecast for hydrogen as a source of decarbonisation. The CCC suggests that it is electric vehicles (EVs) that will dominate this role in transport on Britain’s roads, with no hydrogen cars or vans. Surprisingly, it seems that very little potential for hydrogen to play a role in fuelling heavier vehicles.

As expected, the CCC welcomed the Government plans to restore the phase-out date for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030. However, it cautioned that ministers should also confirm the 2040 phase-out for new diesel HGVs, and also restore the 2030 date for vans. It even goes as far as they should consider including hybrid cars in the phase-out. The UK’s goal remains to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The CCC points strongly to the continued development of Britain’s charging infrastructure as being key in increasing commercial confidence in electric vans. It also suggests that further action to remove barriers to uptake is likely to be needed, a widely held belief in the auto and transport industries.

It should be noted that the Committee on Climate Change advise the government. They do not formulate policy. That said, history tells us that the British Government usually accepts their advice.