Britain announced on Thursday it was sticking to a previous timetable to phase out cars that burn fossil fuels by 2035, limiting the impact of last week’s five-year delay to a requirement that petrol and diesel cars have hybrid engines.
The announcement means that last week’s policy change will not cause as much disruption to the industry as some manufacturers had feared when it was announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a major speech.
Only 20 percent of vehicles produced between 2030 and 2035 will be able to burn petrol or diesel at all, so Sunak’s move to lift the requirement that they be hybrids will now affect only a small part of the fleet.
“Our mandate provides certainty for manufacturers, benefits drivers by providing more options and helps grow the economy,” transport minister Mark Harper said.
Sunak’s announcement that he was moving the 2030 ban on non-hybrid fossil-fuel models to 2035 was greeted with dismay by many in the industry who said it created uncertainty and could lead to supply chain disruptions.
But the government timetable unveiled on Thursday showed there will be no change in the previous schedule for increasing the share of vehicles that produce no emissions at all.
Source : Reuters
