The UK’s four biggest vehicle fleet operators – Centrica, DPD UK, Royal Mail and BT and Openreach – have joined the mounting calls for a 2030 ban on sales of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
It comes as part of the UK Electric Fleets Coalition campaign to achieve the earlier date, with the Coalition now having close to 30 members. These include companies such as EDF, E.On, Engie, Hitachi Capital UK, Iberdrola/ScottishPower, Octopus, OVO, SSE and Tesco.
Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, which runs the UK Electric Fleets Coalition, said that the companies signed up to the Coalition offer “an incontestable voice from businesses asking for more ambitious policies on transport from the UK government”, adding that she urges Prime Minister Boris Johnson “to listen to the businesses asking for swift action today”.
The government has already consulted on bringing the date forward to 2035, five years earlier than the initial target, or sooner if feasible.
A wide range of companies and organisations have pushed for this, with the Committee on Climate Change recommending a date of 2032, the Net Zero All-Party Parliamentary Group a date of 2032 and SSE a date of 2030.
In addition, the One Nation caucus of Tory MPs called for a ban of 2030 in August, with Ruth Edwards, MP for Rushcliffe, stating this “will provide the catalyst to ensure that the rollout of EVs gets the focus and investment it needs”.
