UK petrol/diesel/hybrid ban now by 2035

The United Kingdom has brought forward by five years its move to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars, adding hybrids as well.

The policy shift from 2040 to 2035 has been announced by prime minister Boris Johnson in launching the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UN COP 26 climate summit) in Glasgow in November.

That means more battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are needed for Britain, but many in the automotive industry there say the country is unprepared to move to electric only by the new date, The Guardian reports.

Reuters

says it’s a victory for EVs, adding it could herald the end of the internal combustion engine (ICE).

The UK government says that subject to consultation it will stop the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans in 2035 or even earlier if possible.

Most overseas media forecast the policy change will have a huge impact on the automotive industry and spark an even more rapid response.

That’s expected to help automotive manufacturers like Volkswagen already making a major shift to electrics, while electric car specialists like Tesla are expected to prosper further.

The move may also stymie some car makers’ plans for more hybrid production.

Tesla share prices jumped as high as 20% this week on the back of better than expected fourth quarter trading.

The electric car company also announced a week’s delay to its Shanghai Gigafactory 3 production because of the coronavirus, although this isn’t expected to impact much on its growth.