Prominent EV makers and charging firms have urged the UK to press ahead with plans to have a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate in place by 2024, demonstrating climate leadership in the decarbonisation of road transport.

Signatrories say the ZEV mandate will provide a clear and dependable signal to infrastructure providers on EV supply, de-risking charge point investment

While the UK government made a commitment in last year’s Net Zero Strategy that it would introduce such a mandate from 2024, and opened a consultation earlier this year, momentum has since flagged.

It’s left many in the sector concerned about a lack of progress; in September, LeasePlan asked for the necessary detail on the scheme while last month saw major fleet operators urge for clarity as part of a seven-point plan for EV sector stimulus.

Now, a new letter from companies such as Ford as well as Octopus Electric Vehicles, Faircharge, Pod Point, Britishvolt and EVA England, among others, says that an ambitious ZEV mandate would “provide a clear signal and trajectory to infrastructure investors to accelerate the charge-point roll-out”.

In the missive to Jesse Norman, minister of state at the Department for Transport, the EV stakeholders say that they understand that the design and ambition of mandate is still being discussed within government and a consultation response is due imminently.

But they urge the Government to move quickly and bring forward legislation to ensure the mandate is operational from 2024, as originally intended, and with a 22% threshold.

And the signatories add: “The benefits of the UK government’s leadership on this issue are already visible. High-profile investments to support the EV transition in the UK have created and safeguarded thousands of jobs, with the prospect of many more to come.

“The Government’s own assessment estimated that 40,000 extra jobs will be created by the EV transition. From research and vehicle design, to chargers and software; to energy services and the vital ongoing task of installing, supporting and maintaining the vehicles and networks: every corner of the UK has the opportunity to benefit from the transition.”

New car registration figures published at the start of November reveal that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 14.8% of overall sales in October; down from a 15.2% market share last year. And while BEV registrations were up 23.4% for the month, this was outpaced by the overall 26.4% rise in the UK new car market; a first since the pandemic.

The SMMT has called for accelerated charge point rollout to give drivers the confidence to go electric.

And those signing the letter to Jesse Norman say that bringing forwards the ZEV mandate will provide a clear and dependable signal to infrastructure providers on EV supply, de-risking charge point investment.

They also encourage ministers to protect the current ZEV mandate trajectory by limiting the flexibilities allowed, in order to avoid watering down the impact of the investment signal.

“Allowing manufacturers to ‘borrow’ extensively against future deliveries of electric vehicles, thereby dampening delivery in the early years of the mandate, will weaken the targets and planned CO2 reductions and slow infrastructure roll-out due to the lower number of EVs being brought to market.

“Such an approach would forfeit the hard-won gains that the UK has made by moving further and faster than the EU on this issue,” the stakeholders added.