We’re long past the stage of debating whether or not the original 2020 decision to ban the sale of new internal-combustion-engined cars in 2030 was a good one, yet for better or worse the fact is the date was set both in the minds of car buyers and the industry itself in making investments to ensure it was ready for the switch to EV.
Yet ever since that day, the amount of indecision and lack of leadership and ownership on this issue from the UK government has been remarkable, something that has now culminated with prime minister Rishi Sunak delaying the 2030 ICE ban for five years.
For starters, the rollout of a charging network to support the switch to EV has been painfully slow. The five-year delay, has Sunak said in his announcement this afternoon, is needed to make it fit for purpose, less it be used as an excuse to simply drag heels for longer.
Then there’s consumer confidence. The government’s will-they-won’t-they flip-flopping on the 2030 date has hardly been a ringing endorsement for the casual car buyer wondering whether or not to make the switch to EV.
Electric cars have many merits, but in the wider public consciousness, they are new with lots of unknowns, and rather than a positive education and hand-holding job through the transition backed by incentives, shade has been thrown on them and doubts about whether or not a switch will happen as planned were allowed to fester.
For car buyers, the likes of the Ford Fiesta and other smaller, more affordable cars are being killed off anyway to make way for EVs. Given the long-term view needed on investments in new cars, the five-year delay isn’t going to magically bring them back.