The CEO of Lister Motors has told GB News that urgent changes are needed to support British manufacturers who may find it difficult to switch away from making petrol and diesel vehicles.
Lister Motors, one of the UK’s oldest racing car manufacturers, warned earlier this year that it was being forced to delay any future plans for its new developments in response to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate.
This mandate outlines that manufacturers are required to have a certain percentage of sales come from electric vehicles, starting from 22 per cent in 2024, 28 per cent in 2025 and 80 per cent by the end of the decade.
This is part of the Government’s pledge to phase out the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles, with Labour moving forward with its plans to ban sales of polluting vehicles.
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Lawrence Whittaker issued an urgent warning to the car industry
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Speaking in the Commons earlier this year, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed that the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles will be banned from 2030, while all cars sold after 2035 will be zero emission.
This followed a Department for Transport consultation which called for views on the options available to end the sale of new ICE cars from 2030, as well as the consideration of approach for small volume manufacturers.
Lawrence Whittaker, CEO of Lister Motors, spoke to GB News about the future of the ZEV mandate and what it could mean for British businesses selling small quantities of vehicles.
He said: “The ZEV most definitely needs to change to allow all manufacturers who produce until 1,000 cars per year to continue making cars.
“At the moment, since we are only discussing an exemption until 2035 and not beyond 2035, I find little to get excited about.
“We will need more time to design, research, build, produce and sell a new car effectively to have a return on investment.”
Whittaker, who is also CEO of WarrantyWise, previously told GB News that he had spoken with the Department for Transport about Lister’s situation and what could happen in the future.
The ZEV mandate consultation has since ended, with manufacturers and businesses now hoping that the Government will provide feedback and guidance on the future of the ban and the ZEV mandate.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport confirmed to GB News that manufacturers selling fewer than 1,000 cars are exempt from the ZEV mandate and CO2 targets up to 2030.
There are two different definitions for smaller volume manufacturers included in the ZEV mandate. Small volume manufacturers are defined as registering less than 2,500 cars or vans in any calendar year.
Any manufacturer falling beneath this threshold is eligible for an exemption from the ZEV targets. Micro volume manufacturers produce less than 1,000 vehicles and are also exempt from CO2 targets.
They added that it would “confirm details in due course” for automakers and businesses to give assurances for the future of the ZEV mandate.
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The spokesperson continued, saying: “We want to support the sector through the transition to electric, as we continue to deliver our growth mission.”
