Misinformation about electric vehicles in some parts of the UK press is hindering growth of the sector, according to a report by a Lords enquiry. Despite the milestone of one million electric cars registered in the UK being reached on Monday, the Lords Climate Change Committee said that growth has stalled. The government has been urged to combat mistruths around range and cost and to build confidence by providing reliable information to consumers. Baroness Parminter, chair of the committee, cited articles in national newspapers which she claimed had sought to scare people, warning that “net zero is fast approaching and the sooner we do it the cheaper it will be”.
Around 25% of UK carbon emissions are caused by road transport, according to government figures. Switching to electric vehicles could significantly reduce these emissions, but only about 3% of cars are currently electric. Richard Bruce, Director of Transport Decarbonisation at the Department for Transport, told the enquiry that the growth of such vehicles was being hindered by a “concerted campaign of misinformation” that was reflected in consumers’ purchasing appetites. He added that the number of anti-EV stories appearing in newspapers was almost unbroken, and that these were based on “misconceptions and mistruths”.
The report also called on the government to accelerate the allocation of funding to local authorities to install charging infrastructure more quickly, and to redesign road taxation which currently offers excise duty, fuel duty and congestion charge exemptions for EV owners. The Lords called for greater funding certainty for local authorities which are trying to respond to rising demand and local priorities. Currently, the number of public chargers varies significantly across the country, with the North West having just 31 per 100,000 people compared to London’s 131.
Read More: Electric car misinformation ‘must be challenged’ – Lords
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