Fleets want fast action on ZEV mandate as targets bite

Fleets want a speedy resolution to a consultation on the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate with it impacting the availability of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. 

The Government says it will launch a 'fast track' consultation on the ZEV mandate after mounting pressure from the auto industry.

Duncan Webb, fleet director at the AA, told Fleet News at 10 that he was concerned how long the ‘fast track’ consultation will actually take.

“I think everybody's tried to work with it (ZEV Mandate), but it's got to the point where it's starting to bite, and if we are still six months in and nothing changes, then I genuinely think supply chain problems in terms of what product we're going to get into the UK market is going to be even worse than it is now, and I think It's going to affect structural investment in in UK manufacturing.”

Stellantis recently announced plans to consolidate its electric van production in the UK at its Ellesmere Port plant, closing its factory in Luton and putting 1,100 jobs at risk.

The owner of four van brands, Vauxhall, Citroen, Peugeot and Fiat, blamed the UK’s ZEV mandate. 

The news from Stellantis came just days after Ford announced it was cutting 800 jobs in the UK over the next three years, blaming a weaker demand for EVs.