Sharon Graham, the general secretary of trade union Unite, welcomed a reduction in ZEV mandate targets. “This is a huge victory,” she said. “UK car workers have been increasingly fearful of their jobs.
“The Government at the highest level has listened to the concerns of Unite and is now set to act decisively to protect the jobs of UK automotive workers.”
Not everyone is celebrating the possible dilution of the ZEV mandate, however. Speaking a few days before the report’s publication, Dominic Phinn, head of transport at Climate Group, said: “The UK Government should resist any calls to weaken the policy or bring forward its planned review, and instead focus on removing the barriers that are actually slowing the transition.”
While the Government has attempted to accelerate EV sales through the Electric Car Grant introduced last year, Phinn added factors such as public charging costs and the UK’s charging network had to be addressed in order to grow EV sales.
An official announcement from the Government on potential ZEV mandate changes is expected in the coming weeks.
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