Go green - electric car

UK changes date to buy diesel and petrol cars – now 2035

The last date to buy a new petrol, diesel or hybrid car in the UK will be brought forward from 2040 to 2035

The change comes simply because 2040 would be too late if the UK wants to achieve its target of emitting virtually zero carbon by 2050. Simple maths really….

COP26

Boris Johnson unveiled the policy as part of a launch event for a United Nations (UN) climate summit in November. The summit, known as COP26, is an annual UN effort, set up to assess progress on tackling climate change.

The UK PM is reported to have said the ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars would come even earlier than 2035, if possible.

Hybrid

Hybrid vehicles are now being included in the proposals – they were exempt. This will not please the car industry.

So what will we be able to buy

Consumers will only be able to buy electric or hydrogen cars and vans, once the ban comes into effect in 2035. Let’s hope the policy is not ill thought-out! We have enough time to get this right!

Question

What will replace the taxes previously generated by fuel levies and from vehicle taxes based on Co2 emissions? How will this lost revenue be replaced? Where will the money come from?

More taxes (but different) – assumptions (my guess)…

No doubt a tax on the user will be levied – probably on the electricity used ‘tax’ (e-tax maybe), used to power the vehicles, or from road use tax, or a per mile tax charge?

As it now won’t be a ‘negative’ pollution tax as in the past – it will need to be a ‘pay per’ use tax, such as per mile or road tolls, possibly combined with a road tax. This needs to be though through properly.

The lost revenue from fuel and vehicle tax will need to generated from somewhere!

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