Service station operators in the UK are sceptical about the Labour Party's manifesto pledge to restore the 2030 ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, if it gets into power at the forthcoming general elections in July.
While the announcement came as no surprise, key players in the sector say they are concerned Labour, which is highly likely to form the next government based on current opinion polls, is being unrealistic in its ambitions to so quickly replace petrol and diesel cars with EV's.
Seb Hawtree, a director of fuel retailer Hawtree & Sons, said: “I think it’s a great election headline, but the reality of it being achievable is unlikely.” Guy White, managing director of the Laurels Group, another major retail group agreed: “It cannot be done. More talks with manufacturers worldwide and a full investment of infrastructure is required.”
Guy added: “Who is going to repair them, as we have very little knowledge or training on electric vehicles?” And Nick Fraser, a director of operator, the Fraser Group, concurred: “it is a shame when it’s used as a political tool. A long-term strategy to green energy is needed and rushing things through isn’t the way to go in my eyes.”
The Conservative government had last year moved the date to start phasing out ICE cars from 2030 to 2035, to give more time to put in place the infrastructure to charge electric vehicles. But Labour’s manifesto says reinstating the 2030 date will give “certainty to manufacturers”, and adds that a Labour government would support the transition to EV by accelerating the roll out of chargepoints.
Labour said that it would also give confidence to the secondhand electric car market by “standardising the information supplied on the condition of batteries”.
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