The British government is banning the sale of new fuel cars by 2030, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirms in his column The Financial Times. To ensure that this transition runs smoothly, the Johnson government wants to invest a total of € 3.1 billion in electric cars in the coming years.
Johnson’s affirmation is in line with what the Financial Times yesterday already managed to report. The sale of new passenger cars and commercial vehicles with only a fuel engine will be prohibited from 2030. According to Johnson, hybrids can be sold for another five years, but only if they can drive a significant distance without exhaust emissions, according to the prime minister. It is not yet known what that minimum electric range for a hybrid will be. However, it does appear that Johnson is referring to plug-in hybrids here and not mild hybrids and other plug-less hybrids.
With the € 3.1 billion, the British government wants to expand the charging infrastructure, but also subsidize the construction of battery factories. It is also likely that some of the money will be used to fund a purchase subsidy. There is still a long way to go, because according to Autocar the market share of EVs in the United Kingdom this year is 5.5 percent. In a way, manufacturers have already taken into account the new goal of the British government. For example, Bentley announced at the beginning of this month that it will only have EVs in the model range in 2030.