Boris Johnson has met with representatives for leading British and global companies in the automotive sector to discuss what he calls the UK’s electric vehicle revolution.
The Prime Minister set out the commitment to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, with growing numbers of electric vehicles coming on the market and more chargepoints being rolled out across the country. He also welcomed company investments in the UK this year and industry commitments to a zero-emission future.
They discussed how to accelerate this further, support the industry with the transition to a cleaner future including in battery technology, and build public confidence further in good charging infrastructure. They also spoke about creating and supporting high-quality jobs and reskilling the automotive workforce.
They agreed to work together in developing and delivering the UK’s plans.
New funding commitments made in the government’s Net Zero Strategy include an extra £350 million to support the electrification of UK vehicles and their supply chains, as part of a £1 billion commitment. Also, a further £620 million for targeted electric vehicle grants and infrastructure has been set out, with a focus on local on-street residential charge points. This brings total investment in EV grants and infrastructure to £2.5 billion since the 2020 Spending Review.
Plans to put thousands more zero-emission cars and vans onto UK roads through a zero-emission vehicle mandate has also been confirmed today.
Companies from across the supply chain and industry represented included:
- Nissan
- Stellantis
- BMW
- Ford
- Toyota
- Arrival
- JLR
- InstaVolt
- Pod Point
- BP
- Bosch
- Envision
- BYD
- Geely
The UK Business Secretary, Transport Secretary, Trade Secretary and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury also joined the roundtable.
(Picture – Highways News)
