Skip to main content

Diesel ban needs action plan, says transport group

Financial package also required to enable households and businesses make EV switch
By Ben Spencer September 3, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Transport leaders want action to support UK diesel ban (© Veerathada Khaipet | Dreamstime.com)

Local authorities and businesses are calling for an action plan to realise the UK government's ambition of banning new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles within 20 years. 

Keith Glazier, chair of Transport for the South East, says: “Whether the target is 2040, 2035 or sooner, it must be accompanied by a clear and costed action plan setting out how we are going to reach this critical milestone. Without it, there is a significant risk that the target could be missed.”

Transport for the South East – a group of local authorities and business groups in the English region – are calling for the creation of a task force across the government, automotive industry and consumer groups to oversee the development of the plan.

It believes that a series of measures such as financial incentives to encourage people and businesses to make the switch to electric vehicles (EV) will help the government achieve its ambition. 

Other measures put forward include R&D grants to help the car industry shift production to zero-emission vehicles, improving charging infrastructure for EV drivers and continuing research into smart charging to lessen the potential burn of EVs on the national electricity grid. 

Additionally, Transport for the South East wants a package of financial support to help lower income households make the switch to EVs.

The organisation says introducing financing options and developing a second-hand market with support for battery refit costs and warranty guarantees would help overcome some of the barriers for EV ownership.

“EVs are cheaper to run but more expensive to buy,” Glazier continues. “Without the right financial support, people from lower income households will bear the brunt of higher fuel, maintenance and repair costs associated with owning older conventional vehicles.”

Transport for the South East represents 7.5 million people and more than 300,000 businesses in the region. Partners include East Sussex County Council, Enterprise M3, Kent Council Council and Coast to Capital.

 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Government funding to get hydrogen cars moving
    October 10, 2014
    The arrival of hydrogen cars on UK roads is a step closer today as Business Minister Matthew Hancock announced up to US$17.6 million of funding from Government and industry to help prepare the UK for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The investment will help establish an initial network of up to 15 hydrogen refuelling stations by the end of 2015. It includes US$3.2 million of funding for public sector hydrogen vehicles. The announcement follows news earlier this month tha
  • Communications redundancy increases VMS reliability
    December 17, 2014
    Hybrid communications to variable message signs increase resilience to natural disasters and enable deployment in remote areas, as Alan Allegretto explains. Variable Message Signs (VMSs) are a common sight and a well-proven means to improve public safety on our roads and highways. ITS professionals rank the VMS as second only to interoperable radios as the most important technology to improve effectiveness during emergency incidents and evacuations. Ironically, however, current systems suffer from one criti
  • UK commuters spend up to six times as much of their salary on rail fares as other European passengers
    January 3, 2017
    Rail commuters returning to work this week will face fresh fare increases, while spending up to six times as much of their salary on rail fares as European passengers on publicly owned railways, new research by the Action for Rail campaign has revealed. UK workers on average salaries will spend 14 per cent of their income on a monthly season ticket from Luton to London (£387), or 11 per cent from Liverpool to Manchester (£292). By contrast, similar commutes would cost passengers only two per cent of t
  • Transportation systems should be self-sustaining says study
    January 11, 2013
    A recent study by US public policy think tank claims the nation's growing debt and budget deficits are increasingly impacting efforts to build, upgrade and maintain transportation infrastructure. The study proposes that transportation funding should be shifted to direct user fees, long-term financing and private capital, foundation officials said in a prepared statement. The study recommends a series of tax, regulatory and organisational changes that would help modernise the nation's airports, air traffic c