The government has promised to restore the target to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate also requires that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain will have to be zero emission by 2030. However, car makers have expressed concerns about their ability to hit these targets without further support, and the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) is lagging behind the government target. So what are the barriers to EV uptake?

Charging infrastructure is one reason consumers hesitate to make the switch, with a lack of on-street charging, bottlenecks with motorway charging, as well as concerns about price differential and different rates of VAT for on- and off-street parking. More also needs to be done to ensure the electricity network can cope with demand, and that charge points can be easily and cheaply connected to the grid.

So what could be done to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure? How does the new government plan to address these challenges? And where in the country are these problems most acute?

To discuss these questions and more, our panel included:

Lilian Greenwood MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Future of Roads)
Rosa Hodgkin, Researcher at the Institute for Government
Ian Howells, Executive Vice President of Honda Motor Europe
Bharat Pathania, Head of New Technologies at Midlands Connect

This event was chaired by Nehal Davison, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.