Car industry bracing for 2030 petrol and diesel sales ban

The new Labour government has pledged to restore the petrol and diesel ban after former prime minister Rishi Sunak pushed the deadline back by five years to 2035 – the same year as the EU’s ban.

Car manufacturers have already begun shifting the focus of their production lines to electric vehicles and dealerships across the region are bracing for a future without new petrol and diesel motors in their showrooms.

So what does the future look like? 

LOTUS 

Norwich-based car manufacturer Lotus says it supports the government's proposed 2030 ban - with its own plans to be all electric by 2028. 

"Electrification is crucial in the journey to net-zero," a Lotus spokesman said.

"Over the past six years, Lotus has been investing in the technology and infrastructure to go all electric by 2028.

"We have poured more than £500m into research and development and operations in our Norfolk manufacturing plant, and will continue to invest to accelerate the transition to electric here in the UK, and globally.

"We are now laser focused on ramping up production and sales."

The Lotus factory at Hethel, Norwich (Image: Denise Bradley)

Lotus has called for further investment in technologies and manufacturing at its Hethel base - and urged the government to continue to support car manufacturers with the transition to electric to help lower vehicle costs for consumers. 

"We have invested in the technology to make it easier than ever to own an EV by providing drivers with the confidence to complete long-distance journeys," Lotus said.

"For instance, when using a 400kW DC fast-charger, Emeya (one of Lotus' fully electric cars) can achieve a 10 to 80pc charge within 14 minutes.

"We want consumers to want to go electric – not just feel like they should. We are incorporating sportscar levels of dynamic performance to bring drivers a refined and dynamic EV that is truly exciting to drive."

The Lotus Eletre electric SUV (Image: Lotus)

HOLDEN GROUP

Holden Group, which has car dealerships across Norfolk and Suffolk, offers 19 EV models across its range of brands. 

"As a business, we’ve been positively preparing for a transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles for some time," Martyn Webb, Holden Group's managing director, said. 

"Our business will of course also continue to offer used cars, along with servicing and parts for combustion engine vehicles, which will inevitably continue to be on our roads for years to come.

Holden Group's dealership in Heigham Street, Norwich (Image: Holden Group)

"We feel that we’re in good shape to embrace the changes. We now offer our customers a wide range of electric vehicles from compact city cars to family SUVs and high-performance sports cars.

"There are also a number of new car launches coming up which make for an exciting future for EVs." 

THE FUTURE'S ELECTRIC

Electric vehicles (EVs) are viewed by the government as the answer to achieving its net zero target.

Transport currently contributes more than a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it the economy’s largest emitting sector - with more than half these emissions coming from cars.

A mandate already requires a minimum proportion of car manufacturers’ sales to be zero emission vehicles.

The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, introduced by the previous government in January this year, currently means 22pc of all car sales must be zero emission vehicles - set to rise to 100pc by 2030 under the new government.

THE ELECTRIC REVOLUTION

The market for EVs is growing. Just 3pc of cars – 931,000 – were battery electric in the UK at the end of 2023, and only 7pc were hybrid electric - using an electric motor alongside petrol or diesel.

More than £20bn was invested into zero emission vehicle production in the UK last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and battery electric cars accounted for 16pc of all new car registrations.

Electric vehicles being charged at the Gridserve forecourt at Postwick (Image: Denise Bradley)

There are now more than one million EVs on UK roads, with one in five new cars bought or leased now powered by electricity – up 20pc on last year.

The industry is now forecasting that the two million milestone could be reached in as little as two years.

GRIDSERVE

Gridserve opened its second UK EV charging forecourt at Norwich's Broadland Business Park in Postwick in April 2022, providing 36 EV charging ports alongside various shopping options. 

But despite last month's sudden closures of the forecourt's M&S Food Hall, WH Smith and Post Office, Gridserve says the Norwich site has been "hugely popular" with EV drivers. 

The Gridserve electric vehicle charging forecourt at Postwick (Image: Denise Bradley)

"In the last 12 months, Gridserve Norwich electric forecourt has powered six million EV miles - enough to travel to the moon and back twelve times," a Gridserve spokesman said. 

"The electric forecourt is one of the most advanced EV charging facilities in the world, hosting 36 EV chargers, including 22 350kW-capable high-power chargers.

"Gridserve is on track to support the end of new petrol and diesel cars sales before 2030 and on a day-to-day basis we’re enabling more and more people to have the confidence to switch to electric vehicles in the earliest possible timeframes."

Electric vehicles being charged at the Gridserve forecourt at Postwick (Image: Denise Bradley)

Gridserve continues to expand, opening its third electric forecourt at London Gatwick Airport in January, and is set to open its fourth in Stevenage later this year. 

USED ELECTRIC VEHICLES

For many, high prices remain one of the barriers to purchasing an EV - but the market for used EVs is on the rise as they are now just as affordable as petrol cars. 

The drop in prices is down to EV drivers switching to newer models, which has increased the pool of second-hand EVs.

The SMMT says used EV sales across all dealerships and sales platforms in the UK rose by 71pc in the first quarter of 2024, compared with the previous year.