Electric cars to get boost with UK’s Net Zero Strategy

If you’ve been wondering how Britain will be able to ready itself for the ban on new petrol and diesel car sales from 2035, you won’t be alone.

Because while it’s true that battery electric car sales have skyrocketed by 87% in Britain in the year to date according to the latest figures, the market share of these tailpipe-free models is still under 10%.

By contrast, when the sales of petrol and diesel cars are combined, their market share represents 56% of new cars in Britain. They remain dominant – and no clearer was that then during the recent fuel crisis. Hands up who had to queue for more than an hour.

Nevertheless, there’s little doubt that the future of automotive transport is electric, and the UK Government is about to add a whole lot of kilowatts to Britain’s shift away from petrol and diesel cars with its Net Zero Strategy.

Adding to its current 2035 plan, the government will use legislation to force car manufacturers that sell here to gradually increase the percentage of zero emission vehicles (ZEV) in their range. Many are doing this already, but the legal mandate will make sure that all of them contribute to the transition. Makes sense. But it’s only half of the picture.

To prepare Britain’s industries for an all-electric automotive future, the UK Government has pledged to “unlock” £90 billion worth of investment to fund related things in 2030. It said the investment will secure 440,000 jobs, and help to create a net zero (so that’s emission-free) transport network in “every place in the UK” by 2050.

That means zero emission buses, taxis and trains, to bolster the electric cars that will be used privately or in car sharing schemes, which are also due to be boosted with government investment. Charging networks are also set to be heavily invested in to provide the increasing number of EVs with accessible plugs.

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In fact, the government said that on top of an additional £350 million from its £1bn Automotive Transportation Fund (ATF) to support the electrification of UK vehicles, there will be £620m to support the growth of charging infrastructure, focusing on “local on-street residential charging, and targeted plug-in vehicle grants".

That will be music to the ears of urban residents with no access to a driveway or garage plug, and those who want to make the shift to electric, but can’t currently afford to. New electric cars are still typically pricier than their petrol equivalents.

Of course, these latest proposals and investments are intended to increase the uptake of electric cars, with a focus on new models. When it comes to nearly new and used cars, like those sold on cinch, fewer things are set to change. All things suggest you’ll still be able to buy a used petrol or diesel car into the 2030s, for example.

Although it is true that these changes will mean that even the second-hand car market will eventually shift towards becoming almost all-electric, something the government will no doubt welcome as it bids to cut road traffic emissions before that self-set 2050 Net Zero deadline. For all we know, we’ll all be in flying cars by then. Are they still cars if they fly? Questions for the future...

Whatever dominates the sales charts in the coming years, you can rest assured that cinch has the biggest range of cars to buy entirely online. So you’re never going to be short of choice – or, indeed, ways to keep up with the latest government legislation. On that subject, we’ve just welcomed a handful of Honda e models to our electric car selection. They’re quite possibly the cutest way to jump on the EV bandwagon.