Trade union Unite has set out its views on changes needed to the UK’s ZEV mandate to support thousands of UK automotive sector jobs.

Unite’s consultation submission focuses on “sensible and achievable” measures that will incentivise EV sales as well as spurring UK production

Its submission to the Government’s imminently closing consultation on EV sales quotas and the 2030 ICE ban focuses on “sensible and achievable” measures that will incentivise EV sales as well as “spurring UK vehicle production and providing protections for thousands of automotive workers”.

The trade union warned that the ZEV mandate’s current focus on vehicle sales alone “will not bring about the changes needed to electrify Britain’s road transport network”.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the current regulations were a “blunt tool that risks jobs rather than encouraging people to purchase EVs”.

Unite’s ZEV proposals include providing additional credits for UK-made vehicles; ‘bundling’ to allow EV and low-emission commercial vehicles to count towards passenger vehicle thresholds and allowing exported EVs to count towards credits for meeting thresholds.

The organisation says the UK ban on internal combustion engine vehicles should stay in line with the European Union’s 2035 deadline, unless there is a proven strategy to defend jobs, which it reckons ZEV does not currently deliver.

Beyond ZEV, Unite is calling for a broader strategy to support auto jobs and grow the EV market. Proposals include VAT reductions on UK-made EV sales for private drivers, investment in charging infrastructure and action on “energy profiteering” to drive down charging costs.

Des Quinn, Unite national officer for the automotive sector, said: “The UK’s automotive industry is at a crucial juncture. Thousands of jobs depend on the Government’s automotive vision and the support it will put in place to make sure the current low-volume crisis does not permanently shrink the industry.”

He added: “Labour’s long-awaited Industrial Strategy must deliver a route through the seismic shifts impacting the sector that provides a just transition for the country’s auto workers.”