Over half of British motorists don’t think that the government’s ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2035 will be met, a new survey has suggested.
From 2035, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned, though second-hand vehicles with combustion engines will still be available.
However, fuel specialists Sustain surveyed 2,000 people to get their views on the UK’s internal combustion ban and found that 59 per cent will be keeping their petrol and diesel vehicles for as long as they can. In addition, 50 per cent of people in the survey felt the environmental impact of scrapping a car in good working order would be too high and 40 per cent believe that electric vehicles don’t fit into their lifestyles.
A total of 54 per cent think they would like to hear more about alternative options rather focusing only with electric vehicles.
Sustain was launched by the low-carbon fuel specialists at Coryton. It is responsible for making low-carbon fuels that use second-generation biofuel from agricultural waste such as straw or by-product waste from crops.
David Richardson, business development director at Coryton, said: “Whether we meet the deadline on new car and van sales or not, one thing is certain, we’re going to have ICE vehicles on our roads for years to come. What we need is a strategy that addresses this.’
He added: “Clearly, electric vehicles offer a lot of benefits and should form part of our environmental strategy. However, as a company that specialises in sustainable fuel, we urge the government to embrace the opportunities that our category, and others, present. We don’t have to pit one solution against another – we should be utilising all of the technologies.”
Reinstating the ban to its original 2030 date following a delay until 2035 by the Conservative government was one of the key pledges in Labour’s manifesto, but there has yet to be an official statement from the government. However, according to the Sustain survey, 27 per cent of people plan to buy a new ICE car just before the deadline, meaning that petrol and diesel vehicles could be seen on our roads for at least another two decades.
