Official UK body calls to ban gas vehicles despite high EV costs
The British government’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) Thursday called for a ban on gas vehicles despite the financial burden to consumers.
The CCC has warned the government that its 2030 goal of achieving net zero emissions is “off track” because officials have only developed strategies to eliminate one-third of the required emissions.
To reduce the other two-thirds of emissions, the CCC recommends several measures. One of those measures is to increase the market share of electric cars to nearly 100% by 2030, a dramatic jump from last year’s 16.5% market share. This would require placing a ban on fuel-powered cars, also known as internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
“The country’s 2030 emissions reduction target is at risk,” said CCC interim Chair Professor Piers Forster in a press release. “The new Government has an opportunity to course-correct, but it will need to be done as a matter of urgency to make up for lost time. They are off to a good start. Action needs to extend beyond electricity, with rapid progress needed on electric cars, heat pumps and tree planting.”
The recommendation comes despite the higher costs of electric vehicles, which the ICC claims will be cheaper than ICE cars by the end of the decade.
Costly cars
In the first quarter of this year, the average new electric vehicle (EV) in the UK cost £59,216 ($76,500), while the average fuel car cost £46,991($60,700).
A study last year found that because electric cars require so much electricity, EV owners are likely to pay more per mile than gas vehicle owners. For a Kia e-Niro, for instance, one of the UK’s best-selling affordable electric cars, a full recharge can cost about £54 ($71). On a battery offering an average range of 230 miles, this amounts to 23 pence ($0.30) per mile. But for a 400-mile-range Ford Puma, 2022’s fuel-powered bestseller, a £60 ($77.50) refueling amounts to only 15 pence ($0.19) per mile.
Similarly, owners of the electric Volkswagen ID 3 may find themselves paying 8 pence ($0.10) more per mile for a full recharge than owners of the gas-powered Volkswagen Golf pay for a full refueling.
Those who charge their EVs at home are charged a 5% value-added tax (VAT), while those who charge at public stations pay 20%.
‘A car that nobody wants’
In part because of the high costs — which also come with high insurance premiums due to expensive repairs — demand for EVs in Europe and the US has been dropping. Twenty-nine percent of global EV owners are considering switching to ICE cars for their next purchase. This lack of enthusiasm has prompted several of the world’s top carmakers to abandon EV projects and investments, including the UK’s own Aston Martin.
Like the British government, the Biden administration continues to relentlessly push EVs despite decaying demand. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) both recently finalized emissions standards that will force automakers to increase EV production.
The EV mandates drew criticism from President Donald Trump, who has vowed to end them if he retakes the White House in January.
“Do you notice [Biden]’s trying to save the electrical vehicle but not the gas-powered, which is the vehicle that everybody wants,” Trump said at a rally in May. “They’re going crazy with the electric car, costing us a fortune. We’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars subsidizing a car that nobody wants and nobody’s ever gonna buy.”
