It has been an action-packed quarter for British Electrical Vehicles. Earlier this month Prime Minister Boris Johnson adjusted his deadline for the ban on sales of petroleum and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2030.New hybrids will also be banned form 2035 unless they are capable of covering a “significant distance” in zero-emission mode.
As part of his Green Revolution initiative, the PM is dedicated to significantly reducing Britain’s carbon emissions. PM Johnson recently outlined a ten-point plan that will focus on his plans for Britain to become a “world leader” in carbon capture technology.
On Tuesday in a surprising move, the government launched Green number plates exclusively for Electric Vehicles (EVs). Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said the move underlined the government’s commitment to tackling poor air quality across Britain.
The decision to introduce green plates was made in a bid to raise awareness around the growing number of zero-emission vehicles in addition to helping motorists benefit from local initiatives such as cheaper parking and cost-free entry into zero-emission zones.
Minister Maclean said: “We are going further and faster than any other major economy to decarbonise transport, improving air quality in our towns and cities in the process and harnessing the power of clean, green technology to end the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050.”
The new plates can be retro-fitted to existing vehicles including cars, vans, buses, taxis, motorcycles and HGVs under the condition that they do not produce any CO2 emissions. The new design consists of a green tab on the left-hand side of the number plate and can be combined with pre-existing national identifiers.
The launch of the plates comes after the first-ever meeting of ministers to form a new Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council. Hosted by the Business Secretary, Alok Sharma and the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps the council aims to help accelerate the pace of the global transition, with further council meetings to take place in 2021, including a meeting alongside the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).
But in a disturbing development it has been found that only five per cent of mechanics in dealerships and garages across the UK are qualified to work on electric vehicles. In 2019, 6,500 certificates for working on EVs were issued in the UK and in 2020 the number of certificates was down 85 per cent compared to the same period last year.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has disclosed that there are between 13,000 and 20,000 qualified technicians working on 380,000 plug-in vehicles across the UK. IMI has revealed that it is concerned that as EV and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) adoption increases, the number of vehicles will greatly outwiegh the number of mechanics who are qualified to work on them.
In other news, The office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has recently been renamed The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
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