MPs from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Electric Vehicles have backed an initiative which aims to “bust myths” about EVs and “put facts before fiction”.
The #StopBurningStuff campaign says it is helping to “level the playing field in a time of increased misinformation”.
Representatives from The REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), FairCharge and The Fully Charged SHOW highlighted what they called the true cost of misinformation and the impact that it is having on the electric vehicle sector at a meeting of the APPG on Tuesday.
Reacting, Chair of the APPG on Electric Vehicles Matt Western, who is Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, said: “Having served notice back in 2030 on new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030, we now hear the Government has changed its mind.
“This is disastrous for consumers who want to do the right thing but are now unsure of whether to buy. It is also disastrous for manufacturers that desperately need certainty before making major investment decisions to manufacture new vehicle plants and EV gigafactories. There are many in the sector that believe this will set the UK back considerably. Everyone wants certainty. And if we are to lead in these new technologies, then we need to lead with the market.”
The government’s recently-announced a 30-point ‘plan for drivers’, includes a significant collection of policies on electric vehicles and charging infrastructure and the REA points out that within the plan, the government said it would “work with industry to myth-bust concerns about EVs”.
The REA, which acts as the Secretariat for the APPG on EVs, also runs the electric vehicle (EV) trade group RECHARGE UK. Its Transport Policy Manager Matthew Adams said: “The REA, as the Secretariat for the EV APPG, organised a meeting to discuss the Prime Minister’s decision to push back the end of sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.
“The session gave opportunities for MPs across the political divide to understand the impact of their words on industry, through the results of our poll which highlighted significant market uncertainty stemming from the PM’s speech.
“Following the publication of the Plan for Drivers, which discusses the need to combat misinformation around EVs, we invited Quentin Willson (FairCharge) and Claire Cullen (Stop Burning Stuff/Fully Charged SHOW) to discuss their initiative to combat myths. MPs in the room were really engaged with the topic and found many of the points raised in both our survey, and by Quentin, eye opening. They took a lot away from it, and we are hopeful that this information will play a role in helping inform their voting decisions before the 2035 date is voted on later this year.”
(Picture – Yay Images)
