Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Electric Vehicles

Thursday 11 March 2021 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK Department plans to ban new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035 and invests 2.8 billion to support the transition to electric vehicles.
  • UK Government collaborates with the Institute of the Motor Industry to train mechanics for electric vehicle maintenance.
  • Government's on-street residential charge point scheme supports over 105 local authorities, funding more than 3,800 charge points.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Jones Con
Transport Energy
Context

There is no specific event or incident mentioned that prompted this question.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to increase the use of electric vehicles.

Answer from Rachel Maclean

By 2035, all new cars and vans need to be zero emission at the tailpipe. We are investing £2.8 billion to support this transition.

Answered
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Q2 Virginia Crosbie
Climate Energy Business & Trade
Context

Pentraeth Automotive in Ynys Môn is at the forefront of electric vehicle provision locally.

Question

Will the Minister consider providing support so that businesses like Pentraeth Automotive can retrain their skilled mechanics to ensure that electric vehicles can be maintained safely?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that the UK is at the forefront of the electric-vehicle industry, and I want her constituency to play its part. We are working with the Institute of the Motor Industry to ensure that the UK's mechanics workforce is well-trained and has the skills needed to safely repair electric vehicles. Through consultation with the automotive sector, the IMI has developed Techsafe, a register and professional standard for electric vehicle technicians that the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has endorsed.

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Q3 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Energy
Context

The need for a comprehensive network of on-street residential charging points, especially where residents have no dedicated parking space.

Question

To be able to truly embrace the EV revolution, does my hon. Friend agree that there needs to be a comprehensive network of on-street residential charging points close to where people live? Will she work with local authorities to start this work now?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

My hon. Friend is absolutely right and we are already working closely with local authorities. Our on-street residential charge point scheme has so far supported more than 105 different local authorities to fund more than 3,800 charge points. We have recently announced that £20 million will be made available under this scheme for the year 2021-22. We are working so closely with local authorities to ensure the maximum take-up of the scheme, because we do not want a lack of charging infrastructure to be a barrier to anyone wanting to transition to an EV.

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Q4 Andrew Jones Con
Energy
Context

Concern about charging infrastructure being a barrier to electric vehicle purchase, especially in urban settings.

Question

Following on from the previous question, that charging infrastructure concern can be a barrier to purchase. We know that most owners of electric cars charge their vehicles at home. That often relies on their having a garage or drive, which is not always appropriate or possible in a block of flats or in a very urban area. Will my hon. Friend keep the House updated on progress on charging facilities in the more built-up urban areas?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He is absolutely right that we need to tackle all these barriers, which is why we have recently announced that we are changing the criteria for our EV charging schemes to include small businesses, leaseholders and those in rented accommodation, especially flats, to accelerate uptake. Worth up to £50 million, the updated schemes will complement a further £20 million that we are providing for our on-street charging scheme.

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Q5 Sam Tarry
Transport
Context

Disappointment with the lack of concrete measures from the government regarding electric vehicles, including zero-emission buses.

Question

I am pleased to hear the Minister talk about electric vehicles, but the reality is that we have seen little in the way of concrete measures from this Government. We were promised 4,000 zero-emission buses by 2025, but we have heard little more about that—or, indeed, about the national bus strategy, which was expected months ago and has still yet to materialise.

Answer from Rachel Maclean

Let me politely disagree strongly with the hon. Gentleman on the Labour Front Bench. I would need longer than this one simple question to answer the allegations that he has put to me. Shall we start with the Prime Minister's 10-point plan? Shall we also refer to the transport decarbonisation plan, which, as I have now said three times, we will publish in the spring. The national bus strategy, as my colleagues have reminded me, will be brought forward very shortly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific commitments about 4000 zero-emission buses and details of the national bus strategy were not addressed directly

How: Polite Disagreement, Promising To Answer Later

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