ZEV Mandate Escalates, Skoda Peaq & EV Charging Bootcamp Ep.3: kW vs kWh | Primetime EV Live

The ZEV mandate.

So let's talk about that because there's been lots of change on the ZEV mandate recently, and I'm just going to share the right screen for you.

So let's just put this graphic up, share this tab instead, and we're going to add that to the stage.

Okay.

we flagged this one brewing last week while we were away in france um even when eva england wrote to the transport secretary warning the government was quietly softening the zed ev mandate since then it's escalated a lot faster than anyone expected the um Is the government about to weaken the electric car sales target? Yes.

Reports say the 2030 target is being cut from 80% of new car sales being electric down to 50%.

Industry body BEAMA says that single change could cost the UK economy at least £2.9 billion and as much as £16.7 billion in a worse case.

Let's get the numbers straight first because they matter more than the politics around them.

Right now, the rule is called the ZEV mandate.

That's zero emission vehicle mandate.

And it sets out what share of new cars each manufacturer has to sell as pure electric every year building up to 2030.

This year, that number 28%.

By 2030, it's supposed to hit 80%.

That's the ZEV mandate UK 2026.

That's the rule everyone's fighting about right now.

The car industry, through the SMMT, has wanted this watered down for months.

They say the targets were set five years ago in a completely different economy, and that demand just isn't there to hit them without help.

What's new since last week, on the 30th of June, the SMMT went further and called directly on whoever becomes the next prime minister to weaken the mandate.

Timing that tells you exactly who they think is about to be making that decision.

And here's where it gets really properly messy.

This is landing in the middle of a government that's mid-collapse.

Keir Starmer resigned as prime minister on the 22nd of June.

He's staying on as caretaker while Labour picks a new leader.

That's looking like Andy Burnham, expected to take over around the 18th or 19th of this month.

So you've got a caretaker prime minister, an incoming prime minister who hasn't set out his EV policy yet, and the SMMT publicly calling on whoever's in charge to gut the mandate all in the same three weeks.