A recent report from Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found that the 2030 sales ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles could cost up to £400billion. This is more than five times the value of the benefits, based on the Government’s valuations.
Howard Cox, Founder of the FairFuelUK Campaign and Joint Secretary to the Fair Fuel APPG for Hauliers and Motorists, called on the Government to scrap the ban.
At present, the Government plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030, followed by a similar ban on plug-in hybrid vehicles five years later.
Petrol, diesel and hybrid HGVs over 26 tonnes could be banned from 2040, subject to a Government consultation.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Cox said: “It’s no surprise the EVangelists and eco fanatics are coming out to trash a highly reputable report that challenges their emotive driven position.
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From the perspective of the average household, these additional costs over the period 2022 to 2050 amount to £27,400.
This is just under £1,000 per household per year from 2022 until 2050 – the year in which the UK is hoping to achieve net zero emissions.
Craig McKinlay MP, chair of the FairFuel APPG and Net Zero Scrutiny Group, warned that the ban could lead to “disaster” were it to go ahead.
Mr Cox continued, saying: “The 2030 cliff edge target will bankrupt the economy, destroy jobs and automotive manufacturing, break the national grid, and prevent the development of more effective clean transport choices.
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“Maintaining the ban will condemn the Tories to be in opposition for a generation.
“It’s not too late to incentivise manufacturers to bring environmental change, instead of decreeing a scientifically baseless ill-informed green policy, simply to massage the Government’s political ego to lead on an equally clueless climate change world stage.
“This policy is patently insane when cost-effective clean air solutions supported by drivers are already here.”
The report concluded by suggesting that the Government should undertake its own “rigorous analysis” to explore the full impact of the ban.
It claimed: “The findings of this report strongly suggest that a similar Government-led analysis would come to a similar conclusion: that the benefits to UK households of implementing the fossil fuel vehicle sale bans are far outweighed by the costs.”
Some were keen to criticise the report, saying that it did not take into account the falling prices of electric vehicles.
While most EVs are currently more expensive than their closest petrol or diesel counterparts, experts are predicting that price parity will be met before the end of the decade.
Some have even suggested that they could reach parity within the next few years, citing the growing demand for electric cars and vans.
The Government has been keen to push forward with the UK-wide uptake of electric vehicles, investing billions of pounds into infrastructure.
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