EXCLUSIVE: Labour has been warned that motorists could be put off making the jump to electric cars unless infrastructure is improved.
A ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars comes into effect in 2030 (Image: Getty)
The head of one of Britain’s biggest car manufacturers has warned more action is needed for the country to be ready for Labour’s “ambitious” 2030 electric vehicle (EV) sales target. The Government wants to ban the sale of new fully petrol and diesel vehicles from the start of the next decade as part of Ed Miliband’s push for net-zero emissions.
Steve Catlin, managing director of Vauxhall, warns buyers’ concerns around public charging points could hit these plans, as new analysis by the car giant shows the pace of installation has slowed in the last 12 months. Figures from Vauxhall suggest only two-thirds of the additional charge points required to keep up with the growth of EV sales were installed across the UK during this period. Mr Catlin said motorists could be put off making the jump to EVs unless charging infrastructure is improved.
Vauxhall managing director Steve Catlin (Image: Vauxhall )
“Effectively it comes down to confidence and we ultimately need to drive consumer demand,” he told the Express.
“The Government target, for example, this year, is that we need to achieve a 28% mix of electric cars out of all the cars that we sell, and at the moment the industry is running at 22%.
“We are behind the ambitious targets of the Government, so we need to work that forward.
Vauxhall’s Mokka electric vehicle (Image: Getty)
“One of the things we need to do to help that is affordability, which is being worked on and the [new] Government grant has helped with that.
“The other thing that we need to do is to improve consumer confidence in the charging infrastructure and if we aren’t able to fill those gaps, consumers won’t be confident and there’ll be less likely to move into an electric vehicle.”
The UK currently has 84,000 public charging points — a 56% increase since the end of 2023.
Research shows 29 local authorities — representing 8% of the population — have installed enough charge points to meet anticipated demand in 2030.
The industry is expecting EV sales to rise after the Government announced a grant on new electric cars, with most qualifying vehicles having a £1,500 discount.
Mr Catlin said Vauxhall has seen “really positive early indicators of consumer interest” following the grant’s introduction.
He also warned of a “tipping point” in three years’ time with more than half of new car sales needing to be electric.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re ramping up quickly to meet that very high level of ambition,” he said.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We have already seen a huge acceleration of chargepoints across the country, with the UK’s public network now standing at nearly 84,000 — with a new charger added every 31 minutes — and 100,000 more to come.
“We’re turbocharging the switch to electric by slashing prices on new EVs as well as investing £381 million in the public chargepoint rollout, helping to boost the economy and support jobs as part of the Plan for Change.”
