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The Environmental Audit Committee is calling on the Department for Transport to adopt a strategy to increase the use of ultra-low emission vehicles in order to meet air quality targets.
According to the group, the Government is set to miss its target for ULEVs to make up 9% of car and van sales by 2020, while the body said it is concerned that the DfT has no strategy to promote ULEVs beyond 2020.
It also called on ministers to consider making changes to company car taxation rules in order to make EVs more attractive for fleets, while it also suggested manufacturers should be incentivized to build their green cars in the UK.
The body said the Government should commit to keeping existing air quality improvement plans, devised with the EU, following the European Union exit vote earlier this summer, while it has also suggested the DfT should decide whether or not it should take legal action against Volkswagen over its dieselgate scandal by getting the Vehicle Certification Agency to carry out tests to see whether the affected models would have failed UK emissions tests without the cheating devices.
"We need 9% of all new cars to be ultra-low emission vehicles by 2020 if we're going to meet our climate change targets at the lowest cost to the public. But the department's forecasts show it will get only around half way to this target," said Mary Creagh, chair of the committee said. "This failure risks making it more expensive to meet our long term carbon reduction targets. The department should also aim for almost two thirds of new cars and vans to be ultra-low emission vehicles by 2030. With no strategy, we have no confidence that the DfT will meet this target."
The BVRLA welcomed the report: "The committee is right to highlight the continued opportunities presented by ultra-low emission vehicles, and we agree that the Government should further incentivise buyers to choose them," said Gerry Keaney, BVRLA chief executive. "The leasing sector is leading the way with the adoption of ULEVs. Some 4.2% of our leasing members' vehicles are electric, and 3.7% of their new registrations in Q2 2016 were pure electric or plug-in electric cars. This is well ahead of the market penetration achieved across all new registrations"
Read more:
Prioritisation of safety harming air quality
Transport Committee pans Government over Volkswagen emissions scandal
Green campaigners urge Government to follow Khan's pollution-busting lead
Diesel road tax hikes proposed to reduce pollution
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