Electric vehicles have existed in theory since the 1890s, but their popularity has gained significant momentum recently, with sales of electric cars increasing rapidly. In the UK, over 314,000 EVs were sold in 2023. And as of June 2024, 167,096 EVs have been sold, a 9.2% increase from the same point last year (according to data from Hey Car).
The UK’s charging infrastructure is proliferating and electric vehicle deals seem to be springing up everywhere from personal leasing deals through to employer benefits schemes. While electric cars seem to be at the forefront of potential purchasers’ minds, few fully understand how and why electric cars have become such a hot topic. The Paris Agreement, net zero and the ZEV mandates have all been an integral part of the transition from ICE (diesel and petrol) vehicles to electric. This article explains the role they have played in electric vehicles quite literally transforming the mobility landscape.
What is the Paris Agreement?
The Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016. It recognises that climate change is a global emergency that goes beyond national borders, requiring international cooperation and coordinated solutions at all levels.
It is a legally binding international treaty outlining emission reduction targets, pathways and monitoring frameworks for a net zero emissions world. In 2023 the first global stocktake of the world’s efforts under the Paris Agreement made a decision on how to accelerate action and called on governments to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels. The European auto industry supports the Paris Agreement and the EU’s 2050 transport decarbonisation targets and has invested billions in electrification to bring vehicles to market.
What is Net Zero?
The term net zero is used to describe the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) that’s produced in the atmosphere and the amount that’s removed. In order to avoid the worst climate change effects and preserve our planet, global temperature increase needs to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. More than 140 countries have set a net zero target, covering about 88% of global emissions. More than 9,000 companies, 1000 educational institutions, and over 600 financial institutions have pledged to take rigorous, immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030.
Getting to net zero requires all governments – first and foremost the biggest emitters – to significantly strengthen their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and take bold, immediate steps towards reducing emissions. An NDC is a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts. Each Party to the Paris Agreement is required to establish an NDC and update it every five years, including the UK.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is the independent advisory body to the UK Government on reducing emissions and adapting to climate change. Its purpose is to advise the UK on emissions targets and to report to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for and adapting to the impacts of climate change. The UK has two sets of climate goals: the statutory carbon budgets, set out for more than a decade in advance by the CCC, with the current budgets running to 2037; and the UK’s target under the Paris Agreement (NDCs), which is pegged to emissions cuts by 2030.
The CCC has been instrumental in recommending the introduction of the ZEV mandate and provided evidence on the role of Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs) as part of the wider global road transport transition needed to help achieve the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal. It recommended the introduction of the ZEV Mandate as part of the Government’s net zero strategy.
What is the ZEV Mandate?
The mandate requires a rising percentage of individual manufacturers’ total annual sales to be zero emissions vehicles each year. Under the ZEV, 22% of new car sales and 10% of new van sales must be ZEVs this year, and this percentage will continue to rise. By 2030, 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold will need to be zero-emission, increasing to 100% by 2035. Labour committed to reinstating the 2030 ban on new ICE (petrol/diesel) car sales, (which the previous government had pushed back to 2035), in its election manifesto.