Low emission cars

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 1 Feb 2021 Closed: 5 Aug 2021 Parliament page
Transport is the UK’s largest source of carbon emissions and of that, most comes from cars. Government wants people to switch to cars that do not emit carbon dioxide to eliminate emissions by 2050. By 2030, government wants between 50% and 70% of new cars to be ultra-low emission (plug … Read more
9 Recommendations
15 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 4 events
2 Sep
2021
Report published
19 May
2021
Report published
16 Apr
2021
Correspondence
11 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
11 Mar 2021
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Low emission cars
Bernadette Kelly CB · Department for Transport Richard Bruce · Department for Transport Sarah Munby · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Low emission cars HC 186 19 May 2021 24 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
13 results
Clear
2 Recommendation Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
There are a wide range of consumer-facing issues that still need to be addressed to...
There are a wide range of consumer-facing issues that still need to be addressed to increase the uptake of zero-emission cars. Consumers are not all yet convinced that zero-emission cars are a suitable alternative to petrol and diesel models, with … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees, stating the 2035 Delivery Plan and forthcoming EV infrastructure strategy (Autumn 2021) address consumer issues and regional impacts. It highlights £1.3 billion investment in charging infrastructure, planned regulations to improve consumer charging experience, and ongoing monitoring of consumer needs.
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3 Recommendation Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
We are not convinced that government has sufficiently thought through how the charging infrastructure will...
We are not convinced that government has sufficiently thought through how the charging infrastructure will expand at the pace required to meet the ambitious timetable to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles. The Department for Transport makes a series of … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, committing to release an EV infrastructure strategy (Autumn 2021) focusing on addressing charging barriers, particularly for drivers without off-street parking. It details £1.3 billion in funding, specific schemes for on-street and local charging, and support for local authorities.
HM Treasury
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4 Recommendation Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
The Departments have not yet demonstrated how they are going to encourage industry to maintain...
The Departments have not yet demonstrated how they are going to encourage industry to maintain proper environmental and social standards throughout their supply and recycling chains as the zero-emission car market grows. There are a range of environmental impacts and … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation and is working to encourage proper environmental and social standards by funding R&D, supporting UK battery supply chain localisation, participating in the Global Battery Alliance, encouraging OECD guidance, and through FCDO/DIT programmes for responsible sourcing, though it will not unilaterally set standards.
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
As part of the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, Government has committed...
As part of the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, Government has committed to publishing a delivery plan in 2021 for achieving the phase out of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, but this has not yet … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation, stating the Department for Transport published its 2035 Delivery Plan on 14 July 2021, and committed to monitoring progress and reviewing by 2025.
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7 Recommendation Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
We were interested in hearing the Departments view on what barriers needed to be overcome...
We were interested in hearing the Departments view on what barriers needed to be overcome to achieve the targets for zero-emission cars. The Department for Transport told us it had undertaken a lot of research into this area, and the … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation to address consumer barriers, outlining current and planned actions on affordability, charging provision, and public charging experience, including an EV infrastructure strategy for autumn 2021.
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8 Recommendation Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
The Department told us it has used the plug-in car grant, which reduces the purchase...
The Department told us it has used the plug-in car grant, which reduces the purchase cost of qualifying new cars, to address the price barrier.13 The grant has been incrementally scaled back since 2018, and at the time of our … Read more
Government Response
The government highlights its existing measures such as plug-in vehicle grants, tax incentives, and support for the second-hand EV market to address affordability, without committing to new actions.
HM Treasury
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11 Recommendation Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
The Department for Transport acknowledged range anxiety as a barrier to take-up and is providing...
The Department for Transport acknowledged range anxiety as a barrier to take-up and is providing investment for infrastructure, specifically focusing on public and rapid charging. However, it told us that because 99% of all journeys are under 100 miles, electric … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation to tackle consumer issues, committing to publish an EV infrastructure strategy in autumn 2021 and detailing investments in charging infrastructure and plans to regulate public charging experience.
HM Treasury
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12 Conclusion Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
There is regional variation in the uptake of ultra-low emission cars in the UK, for...
There is regional variation in the uptake of ultra-low emission cars in the UK, for example high levels of take-up in southern England, and we have been concerned about whether some locations, including rural areas, are missing out on the … Read more
Government Response
The government outlines plans for an EV infrastructure strategy (Autumn 2021) which will address barriers to expanding the charging network, including in rural areas and through collaboration with local authorities to tackle regional variations. It details funding for various charging schemes.
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14 Conclusion Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
We challenged the Department for Transport on how it would ensure the charging infrastructure expanded...
We challenged the Department for Transport on how it would ensure the charging infrastructure expanded in step with its plans for a very rapid expansion in the number of electric cars ahead of 2030. The Department told us it has … Read more
Government Response
The government outlines plans for an EV infrastructure strategy (Autumn 2021) to address barriers to expanding the charging network. It details significant funding for various charging schemes and support for local authorities, aiming to ensure infrastructure keeps pace with EV uptake.
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
We asked the Departments about their strategy to avoid “notspots” - areas where the market...
We asked the Departments about their strategy to avoid “notspots” - areas where the market does not deliver because uptake is insufficient, especially for rural areas. The Department for Transport told us that the majority of electric car owners will … Read more
Government Response
The government outlines plans for an EV infrastructure strategy (Autumn 2021) to address charging barriers, including 'notspots' and the availability of chargers for those without off-street parking. It details funding for on-street and local charging, and support for local authorities.
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
The Department for Transport informed us there will now be a “shift” in focus from...
The Department for Transport informed us there will now be a “shift” in focus from funding for home charging to on-street and other publicly available local charging. The government has doubled investment for the current year for the on-street residential … Read more
Government Response
The government outlines plans for an EV infrastructure strategy (Autumn 2021) to address charging barriers, particularly for those without off-street parking. It details £1.3 billion investment, specific funding for on-street and local charging, and support for local authorities to develop charging strategies.
HM Treasury
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23 Conclusion Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
Another issue to be considered by the Departments is that, as more zero-emission cars enter...
Another issue to be considered by the Departments is that, as more zero-emission cars enter the market, there will need to be people with the right skills in place to maintain them. The Department for Transport told us that this … Read more
Government Response
The government outlines ongoing efforts to ensure the workforce has the necessary skills for EV maintenance, including DfT's work with the Institute of the Motor Industry and the automotive sector's participation in the Emerging Skills Project and Green Jobs Taskforce.
HM Treasury
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24 Conclusion Accepted
First Report - Low emission cars
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, having assessed a number of different scenarios...
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, having assessed a number of different scenarios for meeting net zero by 2050, has estimated that electric cars will increase electricity demand by around 20% by 2050 and we wanted to understand … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the potential increase in electricity demand from EVs and states its Energy White Paper sets out plans to prepare the grid, with network operators incentivised by Ofgem to develop business plans for future funding.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 24 of 9 classified
Accepted 13
Accepted in Part 3
Acknowledged 2
Not Addressed 6
Total 9 recs + 15 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
16 Apr 2021 Correspondence from Bernadette Kelly, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport, and Sarah Munby, Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, re Public Accounts Committee hearing on reducing carbon emissions from cars, 11 March 2021, dated 30 March 2021
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