Back in 2020, the UK Government announced the phase-out of new petrol and diesel models from 2030. However, in September 2023, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delayed this deadline for another five years, although no changes were made regarding the underlying ZEV mandate. In its election manifesto, the Labour Party claimed it would bring the date forward again, however, this is still to be confirmed.
According to a survey of over 2,000 Brits conducted by SUSTAIN, 59% of motorists driving a petrol or diesel car plan on keeping it going for as long as possible. Half of the respondents (50%) felt the environmental impact of scrapping a car in good working order would be too great, while 40% believed EVs don’t suit their needs.
The findings also revealed that it’s not just the timing of this plan that people are questioning, it’s the approach being taken too.
Alternative options
Over half (54%) of those surveyed said they’d like to hear more about alternative sustainable motoring options and to stop feeling forced down one particular path, currently the switch to EVs. Around a quarter (22%) said they’d like to see the Government using a combination of all the available technologies to transition away from fossil fuel. But awareness for other options remains low. For example, over a third (34%) admitted they had either not heard of sustainable fuel or didn’t know what it was.
There were also concerns about how environmental solutions were being measured and compared. Forty-five per cent believe that current government environmental policy is flawed because it fails to include a full life cycle analysis (LCA) for different ‘green’ alternatives.
LCA involves evaluating the environmental impact of a product from creation to disposal. For EVs, for instance, this would include calculating the carbon emissions that come from the battery-making process or the use of non-renewable electricity sources, rather than focusing purely on tailpipe emission comparisons.
ICE vehicles here to stay
David Richardson from SUSTAIN, the brand that conducted the research, commented: “Whether we meet the deadline on new cars and van sales or not, one thing is certain, we’re going to have ICE vehicles on our roads for years to come. What we need is a strategy that addresses this. It’s important to stress that ICEs are not the issue here, it’s the fossil fuel we put in them. So, if credible alternatives are already publicly available that could make our current cars more environmentally friendly, shouldn’t we embrace them?
“Clearly, electric vehicles offer a lot of benefits and should form part of our environmental strategy. However, as a company that specialises in sustainable fuel, we urge the Government to embrace the opportunities that our category, and others, present. We don’t have to pit one solution against another – we should be utilising all the available technologies.
“Sustainable fuels are readily available, compatible with our current fleet and could help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80%** compared to fossil fuels. Plus, as our survey shows, the public appetite for them is evident, with 54% already stating they would happily use it within their vehicle. If we keep sidelining such innovations, rather than investing in them and incentivising their use, we’ll continue to move our milestones rather than meet them.”
Over a quarter (27%) of Brits are planning to buy an ICE car close to the deadline so that it keeps them going for at least another decade. Of course, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, a UK policy that requires car manufacturers to sell a certain percentage of electric vehicles each year, aims to gradually phase out new ICE vehicle sales over the coming years. However, not everyone is aware of this and, with overseas sales and used car sales still an option, those with an appetite for ICEs may seek alternative routes.
The brand behind the research is SUSTAIN. Created by bespoke fuel specialist Coryton, SUSTAIN uses advanced second-generation biofuel manufactured from agricultural waste, such as straw, by-products or waste from crops which wouldn’t be used for consumption.
By doing so, the fuel utilises the carbon that already exists in our atmosphere, which the plants absorb as they grow, recycling it, rather than releasing additional CO2 that is currently locked underground in fossil fuel.
This year, SUSTAIN’s biofuel blends have been used to set world powerboating speed records, achieve sustainable driving firsts and support the environmental efforts of events such as CarFest, Goodwood Revival and many more.
Image credit: Coryton