Critics of the UK’s updated car policy fear that the introduction of new “flexibilities” has effectively defanged the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, turning a law with a sharp bite into a much weaker regulation.
The original power of the mandate lay in its rigid, year-on-year targets backed by the threat of severe financial penalties. This lack of wiggle room was designed to force a consistent and rapid pace of change across the entire industry.
However, the successful lobbying campaign by carmakers has introduced several mechanisms that soften this rigidity. The ability to borrow or trade credits, and potentially carry over performance from one year to another, reduces the immediate pressure on manufacturers to meet each annual target precisely.
While the industry calls this a “pragmatic” approach, campaigners see it as the creation of loopholes. They argue that a mandate’s effectiveness is directly proportional to its stringency and that by blunting the financial threat, the government has removed the primary incentive for carmakers to accelerate their transition plans.
