Osprey welcomes the ZEV mandate consultation.

Curious to find out what’s actually being asked in the ZEV mandate consultation that is restoring the 2030 phase out of ICE vehicles? The UK’s department for Transport has published an 8 week consultation, split into two parts, that we explain below.

Part 1 - Restoring the 2030 date for no new sales of (solely) petrol/diesel cars, to give clarity and confidence.

A) Hybrids - This asks what types of non-ZEV should be sold between 2030 and 2035. This means, what criteria should hybrids have to meet (such as Drivetrain type, CO2 emission limits (gCO2/km); should these apply at the vehicles or manufacturer level)?

B) Vans - This asks whether new non-ZEV vans from 2030 should be subject to the same, or different, requirements to cars.

C) Demand Incentives- This is an open question asking for feedback on current measures and any additional suggestions of measures that could further accelerate the transition.

Part 2 - Exploring potential updates to the current ZEV Mandate flexibilities (borrowing, banking, CO2 conversion, ZEV conversion), to ensure the Vehicle Emissions Trading Scheme (VETS) remains effective.

A) Time limits - This asks if current time limits on the use of flexibilities, until the end of 2026, are still appropriate?

B) Van-Car Transfer - This asks for views on a proposal to allow over-achievement of van sales to be transferred to meet car targets.

C) Suggestions - This is an open question asking for any other flexibilities that should be considered within VETS for cars and vans?

D) Real World CO2: Proposes VETS should be updated to reflect new evidence showing that hybrids emit significantly more CO2 in real world driving conditions than previously assumed?

As anticipated, this consultation does not propose changes to the annual sales targets trajectory.  This underpins the legally binding Carbon Budget which the VETS is designed to meet.  They are also vital for maintaining the billions of pounds invested in the UK’s eMobility sector—from the production of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to the nationwide expansion of charging infrastructure.

Changing the rules allowing the sale of more polluting non-ZEVs for longer, however, risks impacting the number of fully electric vehicles hitting UK roads.

At this critical time, it is crucial that the government acts with caution to avoid any action that might even slightly lower the projected number of BEVs on UK roads in the years ahead. Maintaining momentum is essential to securing the UK’s leadership in sustainable transport.