The Government is expected to announce a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, alongside a host of other measures to achieve its net zero targets on Thursday. It is being dubbed “Green Day” and has seen many experts and Government officials call for major changes to ensure emissions targets are met.
FairCharge argues that cutting the rate of VAT on public chargers from 20 percent to five percent would increase the uptake of electric vehicles.
The rate of five percent is currently levied on home charging devices, with EV owners who don’t have access to a home charger facing a “pavement tax”.
Neither the Spring Statement nor the Budget documents contained a mention of electric vehicles, despite calls from experts to guarantee further funding for charging devices.
Many have suggested that the Government could announce another package of measures to ensure the charging network grows.
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Some also asked Jeremy Hunt to look into the viability of bringing back the Plug-in Car Grant, which allowed drivers to save up to £5,000 on the price of an EV.
Quentin Wilson, founder of campaign group FairCharge, said the UK Government had not offered any support for the EV sector, unlike the US spending $400billion (£324.5billion).
He added: “The Chancellor must ensure Britain doesn’t come last in the race for global EV investment.
“Thousands of highly skilled jobs and billions of pounds of investment are at stake here – there won’t be a second chance on this.”
The group, alongside 85,000 drivers, 50 parliamentarians and a number of other organisations, delivered an open letter to Jeremy Hunt earlier this year.
It called for a VAT cut, as well as other measures, in a move which would “boost confidence in the sector and unlock billions of pounds of investment in the UK”.
A consultation on the ZEV ran from April to June last year and asked participants how certificates could be allocated to those with clean vehicles.
It also consulted on the possibility of exemptions within the mandate and how the Government could regulate any cars which are not considered to be zero emission vehicles.
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The ZEV mandate, which makes up much of the consultation stage, shows the need for the Government to crack down on transport.
The sector is the single highest emitting sector, with the average petrol car producing the equivalent of 180g of CO2 every kilometre.
The shadow net zero secretary Ed Miliband is also urging the Government to increase its energy efficiency by ending the ban on onshore wind farms.
Despite this, the MP for Doncaster North said he was less confident that this would happen, hinting at the continued use of fossil fuels.
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