Sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned from 2030, 10 years ahead of the government’s original plan, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.
But hybrid cars and vans that can drive a significant distance with no carbon emissions can be sold until 2035.
Johnson said the government will invest £1.3 billion ($1.45 billion) to boost electric vehicle charge points in homes, streets, and on motorways; £582 million ($651 million) in grants to make it cheaper to buy zero or ultra-low emission vehicles; and nearly £500 million ($560 million) in the next four years in development and mass production of electric vehicle batteries.
The government will also launch a consultation on phasing out of new diesel HGVs.
“Success will depend on reassuring consumers that they can afford these new technologies,” auto industry group SMMT said in a statement, adding the new deadline posed an “immense challenge” to the sector.
“It gives a springboard to the huge opportunities for UK-wide investment and green jobs that a true low-carbon economy can bring,” said Josh Hardie, acting director at the Confederation of British Industry.
Ten-Point Plan
The announcement is a part of a ten-point plan that Johnson said was “a green industrial revolution,” aiming to cut emissions to net zero by 2050, as well as creating and supporting up to 250,000 jobs.
“My Ten Point Plan will create, support and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050,” Johnson said in a statement.
The government said it would mobilise £12 billion ($13.43 billion) in public funds for the plan and hopes to galvanize three times as much investment from the private sector by 2030.
Other points in the plan include investments in offshore wind, hydrogen, and nuclear power; investment in zero-emission public transport; research projects into zero-emission planes and ships; heat pumps for homes and public buildings; removing emissions deemed harmful from the atmosphere; planting trees; and investing in new “green” technologies.