Net Zero Is Falling Apart, One Target At A Time

Detailed summary

Net Zero Is Falling Apart, One Target At A Time Authored by Ross Clark via CapX,This week it seems that another Net Zero domino will fall. The British Government is reported to be…

This week it seems that another Net Zero domino will fall. The British Government is reported to be on the point of announcing that the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which lays down targets for the sale of new cars, will be watered down. This follows a consultation launched in August. At present, manufacturers are under an obligation to ensure that a rising percentage of their vehicles are pure electric or else face punitive fines of up to £12,000 for every petrol and diesel vehicle they sell over the limit. The required proportion rises from 33 percent in 2026 to 80 percent in 2030 and thereafter to 100 percent by 2035, at which point even hybrids will be banned.

Actually, the situation for UK manufacturers is more dire than the above figures suggest. A growing share of electric vehicle sales are coming from Chinese manufacturers who are able to undercut European ones, thanks in part to China's dominance in battery manufacturing. Jaecoo accounted for 1.2 percent of the UK market in 2025 and 3.4 percent so far in 2026. BYD increased its market share from 2.3 percent to 3.9 percent over the same period. In other words, European manufacturers are falling shorter of the ZEV target than the overall figures suggest.

Unsurprisingly, Labour's Net Zero fundamentalists such as Ed Miliband are reported to be against reducing the target. But the issue is complicated by Andy Burnham's negotiations for a reset of Britain's relations with the EU. Electric vehicles represent one area in which UK regulation, post-Brexit, has been more stringent than EU regulation. EU rules already allow for a small proportion of cars manufactured after 2035 to have internal combustion engines. The European Parliament's Environment Committee last week voted for a further relaxation.

Opening of the article, excerpted from ZeroHedge. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.