Say goodbye to petrol cars.

In case you missed it, from 2035 (previously the ban was from 2030, but pushed back to 2035 by the government in 2023) the UK government is banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars(1). It’s designed to reduce our carbon emissions and help hit our goal of ending the UK’s contribution to climate change. It also means that more and more cars are going to be electric. Not quite the flying cars of the future we were promised (looking at you Back to the Future), but it’s a start.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

“The UK is going further and faster than any other major economy to decarbonise transport, harnessing the power of clean, green technology to end the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050. Bringing forward the phase-out date could create 40,000 extra jobs by 2030 [now 2035], particularly in our manufacturing heartlands of the North East and across the Midlands, and will see emissions reductions equivalent to taking more than 4 million cars off the road. We are also leading the charge when it comes to the transition to zero emission vehicles and today’s timely boost in funding builds on our world-leading £2.5 billion package to encourage drivers to make the switch.”(1)

What does this mean for your average driver?

Well it means saying goodbye to that petrol forecourt and hello to charging points. A lot of them. The government announced it’s investing £1.3 billion to accelerate the roll-out of charge points for electric vehicles in homes and on motorways and streets across the UK(2). Currently, when you’re on a motorway or major A road you’re never more than 25 miles away from a rapid charge point, and that’s only going to improve(1). And we’re doing our bit too. We’ve already built more than 3,000 charging points across Europe, now we’re bringing our network of Ultra Fast Charging (UFC) stations to the UK(3). It means you can charge your car for 10 minutes and it’ll go 100 miles. Perfect for that daily commute.

Is there help available to buy an electric car?

Yes. Yes there is. The government has also pledged a massive £582 million in grants for people who are looking to buy zero or ultra-low emission vehicles(1). This means that your shiny new electric car should be cheaper to buy. The government is also introducing green number plates(4). Sounds a bit strange I know, but these are designed to increase awareness of cleaner vehicles on our roads and also to help your local authority bring in incentives for those drivers. Examples bouncing round have included cheaper parking as well as cost-free entry into zero emission zones.

How can you get ready for this?

Well here at E.ON Next we believe that it’s important to get your home ready for the switch to electric vehicles, which is why we’re offering our Next Drive tariff. With charging rates of only 9.5p per kWh, when you charge between 12 and 7am, it’s one of the cheapest ways to charge your car. Plus we’re also installing home charging points so that you can get everything sorted in one fell swoop. Want to know more? Call us on 0808 501 5795.