The week that this blog post goes live there will be a new government (maybe) in charge of Number 10 Downing Street. This year, more than ever before, each party’s green policies will be under scrutiny. In this blog post I will be looking at 5 of the major parties and seeing what they have planned for their term in power. Will they be looking to reinforce green vehicle policies or will there be any pushback?
The Conservatives
With the Conservatives we pretty much know where we stand. Their manifesto promises to support electric vehicles by ensuring a truly national electric charging network, including rapid charging. The Conservatives have also reaffirmed their commitment to the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate. Beyond vehicles on the road, there is also a commitment to decarbonising the aviation industry.
These policies are all good and well, but will they be delivered in full? We have already seen a commitment to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars being pushed back from 2030 to 2035. We do agree that a lot more has to be done across the UK in terms of charging infrastructure. There are not enough, particularly outside of London.
Green Vehicle Policies of the Labour Party
Labour have pledged several very interesting policies, including one in particular that will provide a valuable insight into second-hand electric vehicles. This information will be vital, not only for the UK, but for the world as a whole.
Like with the Conservatives, Labour has promised to expand the charging network around the country, particularly with rapid chargers. Another great pledge is that Labour intends to reinstate the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. There is also a promise to build a gigafactory in the UK and to invest heavily in research and development.
One thing that is very interesting is the pledge to monitor the condition of batteries in used cars. This information is very valuable as so little is currently known how used car batteries perform. Any information such as this will help future developments.
Liberal Democrats Green Vehicle Policies
The Liberal Democrats have made a pledge to go even further than either the Conservatives or Labour. Not only will they Reintroduce the 2030 date for banning sales of new petrol or diesel cars, they will also reintroduce electric vehicle grants. This is something that has been greatly missed.
Another pledge, which is something many have been calling for, is a 5% reduction in tax on public charging. When we talk about more incentives being required, these are the type of things that we are talking about.
The Green Party
As you would expect, the Green Party has pledged to take things even further than the Liberal Democrats. Not only would they reverse the decision to push back the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles, they would also bring it forward to 2027. If this is the case, then there is an awful lot of work to be done on infrastructure in the UK. However, it is incredibly unlikely that the Green Party will come into power, or have the numbers in parliament to force changes.
Another policy of the Greens is to have a total ban on petrol and diesel vehicles from UK roads by 2035. These are really big ambitions indeed. To support these goals, the party has promised a £5b investment every year, plus greater help for ordinary people and for businesses.
The Reform Party
Well, there’s not too much to say when it comes to the Reform party. Their policies are the complete opposite of what the Green party are proposing. For a start they will reverse any plans to ban the sale of petrol or diesel cars. Not only that, they will also get rid of the ULEZ areas and other road restrictions that are currently in place.
However, there are a couple of small positives in the manifesto. Firstly, Reform intends to invest heavily in infrastructure. This is something that is a common point across all the parties. They also intend to get the UK more involved in lithium and other battery mineral mining.
In Conclusion
As you can see, all of the parties, at least in part, have some positive policies. Of course, electric cars and green pledges are just one point of consideration in the General Election 2024.
While we cannot comment too much on other areas, something we do know is that there are billions of pounds spent by the NHS in tackling illnesses and diseases caused by poor air pollution. We also know that the majority of air pollution is caused by road traffic. This surely makes electric vehicles an important consideration
