The United Kingdom is said to be planning to postpone the previously announced end of the sale of cars with internal combustion engines by five years.
It’s a question that’s prevalent in almost every country, or in the case of the EU ‘region,’ when will the legal sale of new cars with internal combustion engines on board come to an end? In this category, the United Kingdom is one of the most ambitious players. Here, all new cars must be fully electric by 2030, and that’s not far off.
However, this 2030 commitment doesn’t appear to be set in stone. According to the BBC, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering moving the ban on diesel and petrol cars to 2035. This would align the measure on ‘the island’ with the European Union, where 2035 is also the target year. Sunak is expected to announce this change in an upcoming speech in the coming days, so we await confirmation.
Shifting the deadline in the automotive sector does not necessarily mean that the UK’s overall climate plans will be less ambitious. The country aims to be climate-neutral by 2050. However, the path to achieving this goal is expected to be more realistic and pragmatic, of which postponing the ‘petrol ban’ is a part.