A UK House of Lords (the UK’s unelected upper house of parliament) Committee is calling on the UK Government to do more to encourage greater take-up of electric vehicles in the market.
It said the Government should tackle the disparity in upfront costs between electric and petrol and diesel cars, by introducing targeted grants to support consumers buying affordable models.
The House of Lords report, entitled ‘EV strategy: rapid recharge needed’, follows an inquiry into the UK’s EV transition strategy. It also calls on the government to ensure charging is reasonably priced, convenient, and reliable by equalising VAT rates for domestic and public charging.
High purchase prices and a lack of charging infrastructure in the UK are widely seen as impediments to higher EV take-up.
The chair of the inquiry, Baroness Parminter, said: “Surface transport is the UK’s highest emitting sector for CO2, with passenger cars responsible for over half those emissions. The evidence we received shows the Government must do more – and quickly – to get people to adopt EVs.
“If it fails to heed our recommendations the UK won’t reap the significant benefits of better air quality and will lag in the slow lane for tackling climate change.”
