ZEV Mandate Cannot Be Enforced With Foreign Manufacturers, Say DfT
By Paul Homewood
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-sets-out-path-to-zero-emission-vehicles-by-2035
The Government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate specifically refers to motor manufacturers – though there seems to be some ambiguity between “sold” and “produced”.
However there is no information provided as to how non-UK manufacturers will treated, and how foreign companies could be forced to meet the mandate under UK law. I there FOId the DfT, and they sent me this response:
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So, as I suspected, there is no way the Government can actually enforce its mandate with non-UK manufacturers.
Suppose BMW missed its target by 50,000 cars. At £15000 per car, that’s a penalty of £750 million – which they clearly are not going to pay, no matter how much the Government huffs and puffs.
And if the Government attempted to restrict market access, I suspect there would be an almighty row with the EU. It is one I also suspect the Government would lose in the European courts.
This is particularly relevant given that German manufacturers are hoping to continue focussing on ICEs, now that the EU has an exemption for “zero carbon fuels”.
But also note this section:
It would be easy for European manufacturers to bypass the mandate, simply by pre-registering cars for 3 months before exporting them. By doing so, they would easily undercut domestic manufacturers, who would have to include the cost of the mandate in the price of their ICEs.
It seems naive in the extreme for the Government to just assume that BMW, Renault and all the rest would willingly cave in to UK demands. But that just about sums up the whole lunacy of Net Zero.
Maybe legal beagles out there might check my logic and see if I’ve missed anything.
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
2030 & 2035 are not far off in the context of planning and execution of massive manufacturing issues.
Search-up: Electrovan 1966
Someone has said, “What can’t happen, won’t.”
You only “safeguard jobs” if people buy EVs. If we don’t, jobs will be lost. As for the “most ambitious regulatory framework”, it is coercion, nothing more. The government seems to have utterly lost sight of this fact. The “ambition” lies solely with the state, not with those who supposedly the state serves.
The linked government “news story” is just silliness. One thing I find disturbing:
‘Mike Hawes, Chief Executive, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)’
. . . is fully onboard with this destruction of personal transportation in the UK. He is representing GOVERNMENT, not manufacturers.
SMMT represent the manufacturers who are getting huge subsidy from government
That would it explain it, Glen.
However, I think it a fatal mistake. Taking the government’s free lunch and ignoring the market place cannot succeed.
Yes, I would call it the “most punitive regulatory framework”!!!
Excellent point about the ‘ambition’. I would put it more firmly that of the civil service to whom our elected representatives have cowtowed, the former of woke and global grandstanding superiority self-interest.
There seems to be a massive opening for personal imports as well as all the low-mileage used cars coming in.
The majority of us here know full well that the battery vehicle dream of government can never be delivered. There are simply not enough materials available to build them in the first place even ignoring the other demands for the same materials.
I read somewhere that only 40% of Brits live in situations where they can have their own charger. 60% without chargers aren’t buying electrics.
‘well on track for the government’s target of 300,000 chargepoints by 2030’
For 40,000,000 vehicles, 24,000,000 dependent on public charging. How’s that going to work out for you?
This is maths on a fag pack complexity, yet on you go.
Very true – 2/3s of the country live in flats or terrace housing, neither can accommodate EV charging
The huge drawback – I know the list of them is long for battery vehicles – is the time it takes to charge compared with how quickly you can put fuel in your tank, especially as you have no concerns about the performance of your fuel tank. Unless there is a hole in it, it will hold as much fuel every time you use it.
There’s quite a good trade in used Japanese cars. As far as I can tell it seems to be large luxury people carriers and niche cars.
These vehicles are 10 years old, various mileage supplied by Japanese companies to UK importers. Who tart them up, change speedometer to mph, get it MOTd and various other things. Then sell with a third party warranty. Being from Japan they’re RHD.
Went to have a look at some with my son a couple of weeks ago. Was almost tempted.
My son works on the design team for JLR at Gaydon. He drives an M reg Mazda MX5…what does that say? Apparently Mazda are still heavily investing in ICE so they must know something but are keeping quiet about it.
You don’t have to be a genius to see the flaws in battery cars and the impending shortage of battery materials, so they are being astute in not killing off ICE vehicles much like BMW. There has been a mass reduction in spending money on battery vehicle production as sales falter.
Yes, about 20 years ago I nearly bought a 2.2l Honda Prelude import.
A beautiful fast 4 seater with a great Hi Fi system.
But as I worked for Fords, so I bought a 1.7l Puma instead.
My Neice recently bought an Imported Toyota Van for Camper Van conversion.
I have heard it said that they lack to corrosion protection of cars built for our damp and salted roads.
Hopefully you havent and what the govt trys to sell as being green isn’t as it seems which is fine.
The incompetence of our leaders, the civil service and the majority of our MPs is unbelievable, everything they try and do fails with no one held responsible, All the quangos that are supposed to monitor our once nationalised utilities, OFGEM, OFWAT, OFCOM, OFSTED are failing to get value for us, the customer.
Now this mad plan to fine manufacturers for not selling enough BEV’s is the going to be the nail in the coffin for the UK automotive manufacturers.
Forcing BEVs on consumers by threats is just not the way to do things, the problem is setting arbitrary targets for net zero, based on false science and high level of motivated activists as well as the sinister plans by the UN2030 dream and Sadiq Khan’s 40 cities conspiracy and not forgetting Klaus Schwab’s WEF “You will own nothing and be happy” mantra.
BEVs have no positives over existing ICE vehicles more expensive, range problems, battery fires, high insurance premiums, charging infrastructure is inadequate, charging at home impossible for many, electricity generation and infrastructure is inadequate and will take at least 20 years and investment in nuclear power to get anywhere near enough.
In short the government has backed itself into a corner and just cannot admit that the concept of BEV’s is not going to work, nobody wants them and being forced will cause a backlash against them.
GeoffB – can you imagine a government dictating a law that V2000 recorders HAD to be bought instead of BetaMax or VHS? Or video-discs? Just think where that would have led. (Admission: I had a V2000 and it was really good….)
Gamecock has a BetaMax. Technically the best. But . . . .
So did I Harry. The freeze frame was excellent as it didn’t have the sound bar’s interference. I never did seem to pick the winners.
Add the super Sony Mini Hi Fi Disc to that list. Overtaken by downloading.
para. 2 For ambitious read foolish.
Para 2. For ‘ambitious’ read ‘foolish’
Found this very interesting piece on the Electro Van, thanks to John, https://bangshift.com/bangshiftxl/gm-built-the-worlds-first-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-vehicle-in-1966-and-we-found-video-of-it-sweet-van/
Puleezeeee….I cannot be alone in getting really, really p*ssed off with the mind-numbing and childish reliance by ‘our betters’ on stupid sloganeering and oneupmanship:
‘The ZEV mandate means the UK will have the most ambitious regulatory framework for the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) of any country.”
Why the hell are our (cough) leaders so determined to lead the way to their people’s destitution? Is it something to do with being assigned ‘Houses’ at their public schools? (Admission: we had similar at my orphanage but not quite the same thing as low rates got you beating sometimes). They are pathetic, childish and vainglorious in the extreme. FFS! Just give us something that actually works and doesn’t leave our descendants paying for all of their lives for the folly and hubris of the current set of politician’s lives. Arrgh!
/rant
My theory is it is a remnant of colonialism.
It looks as though we will mainly be buying second hand nearly new imported cars then. They are exempt from the stats. There used to be a similar roaring trade via the Channel Islands with very low mileage nearly new cars escaping UK new car taxes. Some interesting data here
Click to access SMMT-Motor-Industry-Facts-May-2023.pdf
8 out of 10 cars made in the UK are exported. How do they count in the figures?
When the feces hits the blower, Tata will make Jaguars in America.
Read this government document is your best impression of Neville Chamberlain.
I think its all based on UK sales, so exports don’t count
Will we be going back to the days of personal imports from the continent?
Pre-registered cars aren’t considered new by insurers, even with no miles on the clock. A buyer will be recorded as the second owner. If one is stolen, written off etc. in the first year of ownership only a reduced second hand value is payable, as I found out once.
https://www.carwow.co.uk/guides/deals/what-are-pre-reg-cars
NB if the car is bought 3 months old, or however old, that comes off the warranty period.
What’s the position re Northern Ireland having one foot in the UK and another in the EU’s single market?
Can ‘EU’ vehicles be registered in NI then imported into the UK as used? I’m not across the Windsor Framework agreement as I’d lost the will to live rather than plough through that.
Be carefull with questions like that, if you worked in the civil service you’d be sent to the falklands forthwith …..no one knows ?
The UK must be the WEF’s most useful idiot. Our foolish government thinks it’s setting an example for the world to follow. Delusional in the extreme.
What’s the situation regarding cars imported from China?
I presume the manufacturers will do nicely out of selling their EV quota to others, allowing them to discount their prices to secure market share. Remember too that Volvo is owned by Geely these days.
Geely could only sell credits for EVs sold in the UK
GATT: Will we not be ejected from the privileges and advantages we enjoy under this agreement?
Withut wanting to make it any easier for the government of the day on this issue, I could suggest we complete Brexit so EU courts no longer have any say over UK domestic and international policy.
If allowed, cars from China can easily be all EV. A brief search showed ~8400 petrol stations in the UK, assuming at least 4 fuel dispensers each, probably more likely 2x that gives 30-50k fueling sites for ICE vehicles, taking 5-15 minutes each. With 40M mostly ICE vehicles and average annual mileage of 6600 for cars, and 39 mpg typical that suggests a once monthly fill up for most owners. If EV mileage is the same, at 3 miles/kw-hr (typical small car) and 60
kw-hr battery, recharged to 80% that suggests a need to recharge weekly. A level 2 charger will provide ~30miles range per hour of charging, or need for 4 hours of plugin time, weekly. Note that commercial and public chargers will taper off charging once the battery reaches 80%. Home chargers less so and 100% overnite charge can be done at home.
“Home chargers less so and 100% overnite charge can be done at home.”
But what about those who don’t have access to a home charger?
I did ~300+ miles of short notice motoring at the weekend. 5 mins to fuel the car, which was nearly empty (I’ve been holding off, expecting fuel prices to fall because of lower oil prices and higher sterling), part way into preliminary errands of 50 miles. Stopping at Hilton Services for a “rest” break and to check on traffic ahead having run into a jam at the top of the M5 I noted the Tesla Supercharger bays and wondered what they were charging those forced into using them. They did have some high speed chargers for those with high end EV Porsches. The fuel was of course very expensive, but I had had 700 miles in the tank at much better prices, and no need to pay MWSA extortionate rates.
My friend with a Model 3 says that his home charger is programmed to not exceed 80%. He plugs his car in when he gets home, and doesn’t worry about it.
Typical result of incompetent civil servants writing policy that the ministers cannot comprehend.
I’ve asked my MP Flick Drummond when her government will announce a ban on ICE vehicle imports and when it will take effect. I need to lay in three or four Citroen diesels for my grandchildren.