The last gasp of a dying breed

Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, believes the government should not give in to complaints about the ZEV mandate

It’s not surprising that carmakers keep complaining. Whenever there’s been a big change in history the incumbents always resist it, because it threatens their existence. It was true of the leaders in the horse-drawn carriage market when the steam engine first came in, and the same is true now – those who don’t adapt are going to struggle.

In the case of electric vehicles, UK and European carmakers fell asleep at the wheel 20 years ago and now they’re panicking.

It’s disingenuous of them to complain about the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, because they’ve known for years that it’s coming into place. It’s not the government’s fault that they’re struggling, it’s their own fault for not reading the writing on the wall a decade ago.

Carmakers aren’t complaining out of some selfless ambition to try to make the EV transition more sustainable. The carmakers who are stuck in the internal combustion engine (ICE) mindset are simply taking their last gasps of oxygen in an attempt to die in 30 years rather than 10 years. Unfortunately for them there’s no point in trying, because the EV transition is in full flow.

There are more electric vehicles to choose from than ever, more high-tech chargers than ever and the cost of it all is coming down. The government shouldn’t give in to these dinosaurs, it should press on with the momentum that the UK has very successfully created when it comes to EVs. We’re now the largest EV market in Europe, but we can’t become complacent – Germany was the biggest EV market, but progress has all but stalled now.

All we need is some consistency! I’ve had enough of this noise about the need to make more allowances for hybrids in the ZEV mandate. It’s proven to be working absolutely fine as currently constructed, and the EV transition is clearly happening whether we like it or not.

The government isn’t helping by having a consultation in the first place. People read headlines about the mandate potentially changing, and about carmakers constantly talking about how it needs to be changed, and it’s hardly surprising that they’ll think twice about transitioning. The government needs to pick a stance and stick to it – this is the only way that we’re going to end the public’s doubt about EVs.

The government has been providing clear communications on EVs but the regional mayors should step up to push the government more and make it part of their wider active travel plans. There’s been a lot of chatter about buses and public transport, but the reality is that private car use is always going to be there.

There wasn’t some great central government plan when the railways were built. They were built based on regional demand for trade and for people. This is another major transition in mobility, so it isn’t that different. Regional mayors are far more aware of their region’s challenges than central government, so can direct a much more efficient policy. Also, if they move quickly, they can come out of the EV transition with the best chargers, with all the new green jobs for their constituents and the economic growth that comes with it. This could be their legacy, so why not step up and take the opportunity with both hands?

Asif Ghafoor is chief executive of national EV charging network Be.EV