The road ahead for electric vehicles
Over the next few years, as the UK continues on its path to net-zero by 2050, we will all be switching to electric or hydrogen vehicles.
The date that most small fleets have in mind is, of course, 2035. This is the date by which all new cars and vans sold must be zero emissions. In the main part, this means battery electric, although hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen combustion are likely to form part of the solution for larger vans and HGVs.
In reality, the deadline is much sooner than 2035. The reason for this is the government’s ZEV Mandate which sets strict targets for manufacturers selling vehicles in the UK. In essence, from 2024, manufacturers will need to ramp up their sales of zero-emission (usually electric) vehicles or face heavy fines for every vehicle sold above their limit. It works like this:
Manufacturer car target
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 22% |
| 2025 | 28% |
| 2026 | 33% |
| 2027 | 38% |
| 2028 | 52% |
| 2029 | 66% |
| 2030 | 80% |
| 2035 | 100% |
Manufacturer van target
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 10% |
| 2025 | 16% |
| 2026 | 24% |
| 2027 | 34% |
| 2028 | 46% |
| 2029 | 58% |
| 2030 | 70% |
| 2035 | 100% |
What does this mean for manufacturers?
If a company misses their target, it will receive a government fine of £15,000 for every non-compliant car. For vans, it is £9,000 per vehicle in 2024 and £18,000 from 2025 onwards.
What does this mean for me?
This means that, in reality, pushing the date back to 2035 hasn’t changed anything, because manufacturers still need to switch their model line-ups over to compliant cars well in advance of that date.
Our EV experts can help you make sense of the legislation and the vehicles available, so that you can create a plan to switch to zero-emission vehicles in a way that minimises cost, confusion, and disruption to your business operations. To find out more, just give our EV team a call on 01785 713657 or email info@vehicle-partners.co.uk
