The UK government looks set to reject pleas from electric carmakers to spare them from paying fines until 2026 if they fail to meet targets and deadlines to sell EVs to the British market.
The industry has warned of an “irreversible impact” on UK car production and investments, with vehicle manufacturers already being forced to cut jobs to address slowing sales and the costly EV transition.
On Wednesday, transport secretary Louise Haigh and Jonathan Reynolds, business and trade secretary, held a two-hour meeting with charging companies and eight EV manufacturers including Volkswagen, Nissan, and Tesla to discuss the government’s electrification policy.