The UK needs to radically ramp up its work on tackling climate change to meet decarbonisation targets, a new progress report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has warned.

The 438-page report lists a large number of recommendations for the 2030 ICE phase-out

The Government’s own eco advisers said their confidence in the UK meeting its goals from 2030 onwards was now markedly less than in their 2022 assessment and that the UK had lost its leadership position.

Highlighting “worryingly slow” action by ministers, they added that: “Time is now very short to achieve this change of pace.”

The CCC said the Government had made a number of strong commitments, notably on the 2030 ICE car/van phase-out, the 2035 decarbonisation of the electricity system, the commitment to install 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028, and the deployment at scale of new industries such as hydrogen and greenhouse gas removals.

But it now says these must be restated and moved as swiftly as possible towards delivery, including through ensuring the UK has the skills base it needs to deliver on its commitments and building on its promising plans to guide private sector action and investment.

Lord Deben, chairman of the Climate Change Committee, said: “There is a worrying hesitancy by ministers to lead the country to the next stage of net zero commitments.

“I urge the Government to regroup on net zero and commit to bolder delivery. This is a period when pace must be prioritised over perfection.”

A glimmer of hope in growing EV sales but action needed

The 438-page report lists a large number of recommendations for the 2030 ICE phase-out, which it says is vital to meeting the UK’s decarbonisation pathway.

Its recommendations include potentially including plug-in hybrid cars in the 2030 ICE ban, with a corresponding reduction in hybrid sales prior to this, which would deliver a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

The committee also said the Government’s initial proposal for the 2030 ICE phase-out was missing a trick by not incentivising manufacturers to reduce the size and weight of vehicles, countering the trend towards larger, heavier models such as SUVs. Prioritising smaller vehicles would also benefit consumers by increasing the availability of cheaper EVs.

Electric van sales are a concern too, due to slower progress. With a market share of only 6% in 2022, these are significantly off track compared to the CCC’s pathway. However, model availability is increasing and user research suggests that many van drivers are willing to make the switch.

The committee has also called for the Government to confirm the details of the ZEV mandate in regulation and make sure it’s in place from 2024. As set out in the consultation, the mandate should impose targets on manufacturers that are at least as ambitious as those in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and should drive consistent growth in sales of EV cars and vans through the 2020s to meet the 2030 phase-out date. The eco experts also say there is an opportunity to build on this progress to develop regulations and enabling policies to drive forward the market for zero-emission HGVs.

Charging is another area of focus – the report says that while the UK infrastructure has expanded by almost one-third over the past year, provision remains inconsistent across the country and there are concerns around reliability and cost. The rate of charge point deployment will need to more than double in the coming year and beyond to ensure charging provision keeps pace with EV uptake.

“This is vital – if progress is insufficient, delayed or patchy, or if cost and reliability issues present barriers to use, it could undermine public confidence in the suitability of EVs and pose a serious risk to the achievement of the 2030 phase-out of new petrol and diesel vehicles,” it added.

The report also says infrastructure deployment plans must consider how to meet the charging needs of van drivers, which is a key concern that could hinder EV uptake.

‘Early lead on net zero squandered by dithering and delay’

Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, responded to the report, saying: “The electric car market continues to skyrocket in the UK. As recognised by the Climate Change Committee, it’s one of the few shining lights in our journey towards a greener energy system, but now isn’t the time to take our foot off the pedal.

“The Government must provide clear and firm policies and incentives to make the UK a global leader in our race to clean, green driving. The ZEV mandate has a big role to play. By setting a clear route to ban new dirty fossil fuel cars by 2030, the Government will ensure long-term investment in charging infrastructure, save UK drivers billions in running costs, and not to mention help to look after the planet.”

Thom Groot, CEO and co-founder of sal-sac specialist the Electric Car Scheme, also commented: “This report card from the Government’s own advisers is damning and shows the UK’s early lead on net zero is being squandered by dithering and delay. We urgently need a stronger plan to tackle transport, the UK’s largest source of emissions.

“Political leadership is required but instead we’ve had three different Transport Secretaries in the last year barely paying attention to the issue. The Government is supposed to introduce a mandate setting out how many electric cars must be sold from 2024 onwards to reach the 2030 ban but, as the committee notes, this regulation remains out for consultation and is now overdue. I personally doubt the 2030 ban will be reached – let alone the more ambitious ban on hybrid vehicles the committee is proposing.”

He added: “Already, manufacturers in Britain are lobbying to delay the 2030 ban as they are failing to get the massive subsidies the USA and EU are offering their automotive industries. Past experience suggests this lobbying will be very effective and the 2030 ban will be weakened. The lack of a UK and EU battery industry, paired with post-Brexit rules that demand a certain ratio of cars must be made in these areas for tariff-free trade, will mean that domestic manufacturers have a huge incentive to keep pushing against rules designed to up the rate of EVs.”

Groot also drew attention to the comments on public charging – and said he backed last year’s CCC recommendation of reducing the 20% VAT rate on public charging to the same 5% level as for private charging.

He summed up: “In the next few days, the normal talking heads will say net zero is less important than tackling high inflation. But this ignores the role that climate change is already playing in higher prices – especially for food, with heatwaves ruining crops. If we want to get serious about fixing this country and the world’s issues, climate action is non-negotiable.”