September 2021

C arbon emissions from UK road transport will be a thing of the past by the middle of the century, according to the government’s new plans. However, many in the sector still hold reservations about the roadmap that has been laid out for the strategy to achieve this. In a written statement to Parliament on Tuesday 14 July, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps laid out the goals of the Transport decarbonisation plan: “Transport is the largest contributor to UK greenhouse gas emissions, with road transport alone accounting for almost a quarter of our total emissions in 2019. We must deliver a step change in the breadth and scale of our ambition to reduce transport’s GHG emissions to reach net zero. “In March 2020, ‘Decarbonising Transport: Setting the Challenge’ committed to bring together a transport decarbonisation plan to deliver transport’s contribution to carbon budgets and net zero across all forms of transport. The plan is genuinely high ambition – technically and feasibly – for all areas of transport and notes that decarbonisation will rely, in part, on future transport technology, coupled with the necessary behavioral and societal change.” Electric vehicles are to play a major part in this: “The plan also sets out a world-leading pledge to consult on the end of sale of all new, non-zero emission road vehicles by 2040 at the latest. As a major step towards that, alongside the plan we have published a consultation on phasing out the sale of all new non-zero emission HGVs by 2040, demonstrating our commitment to tackle the second largest source of domestic transport carbon emissions and furthering our ambition to decarbonise UK roads. “This comes with a green paper, which will set out options for a new regulatory framework requiring vehicle manufacturers to improve the efficiency of new road vehicles. This will allow us to meet our phase out ambitions while creating new jobs for the automotive sector and delivering certainty to drivers.” The Transport Secretary added: “To underpin our petrol and diesel phase out dates and help achieve them, we are also publishing a 2035 delivery plan. This plan brings together all of our committed funding streams and measures for decarbonising cars and vans, from across government, into a single document.” Amid its flurry of announcements, the government also published its response to the electric vehicle smart charging consultation: “The response commits to laying legislation later this year to ensure that all private EV chargepoints meet smart charging standards. The transition to EVs is central to government’s net zero commitment but will also increase demand on the electricity system. Smart charging can help mitigate these impacts.” Accessible and affordable Commenting on the government’s plan, SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes observed: “The automotive sector welcomes the publication of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and associated consultations, which are necessary to create a clear and supportive framework to accelerate the transition to net zero mobility. The industry is already delivering with an ever-expanding range of electrified vehicles which are being bought in ever greater numbers. However, achieving net zero cannot rely solely on the automotive sector. Massive investment, not least in infrastructure, is necessary and must be delivered at 8 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2021 BIG ISSUE www.aftermarketonline.net DECARBONISATION: THE SECTOR HAS ITS SAY Plans to decarbonise road transport by 2050 met a mixed response from the automotive sector when the government laid out its strategy recently