A ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars in the UK is to be brought forward to 2035 at the latest under new government plans.
Previous plans were due to see petrol and diesel cars banned from 2040, but experts have said this would be too late if the UK is serious about achieving its target of zero carbon emissions by 2050.
From 2035, people in the UK will only be able to buy electric or hydrogen cars and vans.
The cheapest electric car on the market today is just £6,690 and costs just £1 to charge according to its manufacturer Renault, though the car is severely limited in its capabilities. Most electric cars on the market currently retail between £17,000 and £30,000, though it can be expected that these prices may decrease as demand increases.
The change in plans announced by Boris Johnson on Tuesday will be subject to a consultation. The announcement came at a launch event for a UN Climate Change summit, COP26, set to be held in Glasgow in 2020, at which Mr Johnson said 2020 will be a “defining year of climate action” for the planet.
Mike Childs from Friends of the Earth has said the government was ‘right’ to bring forward the ban on the vehicles but urged the government to go further and suggested bringing the ban forward to 2030. He said: “A new 2035 target will still leave the UK in the slow-lane of the electric car revolution and meantime allow more greenhouse gases to spew into the atmosphere.
The President of the AA, Edmund King described the changed targets as ‘incredibly challenging’.
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