All we have to do is refuse to buy.
At least 22 per cent of the cars manufacturers sell next year will have to be electric – or they could face fines of up to £15,000 per car they miss their target by.
That’s if the latest government proposals get the go ahead. Ministers have today announced proposed new targets as part of a major green agenda which details tough goals and punitive measures for car makers.
The problem here is that it relies on the consumer going along with it. I have no intention of buying a milk float. It doesn’t matter how much the government tries to punish the manufacturers, they cannot force me to buy something that I don’t want and will never want – see also heat pumps. Indeed, when the finance comes to an end on my car, I’ll sell it and not replace it as I don’t use it enough to justify the expense. However, if I was to replace it, I would be buying petrol, not electric.
Here, then, is an opportunity for purchasing power to be used against the vested interests. If the manufacturers are punished because the consumer refuses to play ball, they have the kind of clout to kick back in a way that we as individuals do not. But collectively, simply refusing to open our wallets, we can hurt them. See also, Bud Light.
‘The ZEV mandate is a critical tool in the UK meeting its ambitious Net Zero targets. The clarity given today will give fleets and motorists the confidence to continue their decarbonisation journey and accelerate the transition to zero emission transport.’
I have no intention of decarbonising at all. Indeed, I will frustrate any and all attempts to force me to by whatever means available to me. Carbon is not a pollutant and CO2 is essential for life on this planet and we are not facing a climate crisis. I flatly refuse to go along with this idiotic lie.
As an aside to all this, we are seeing yet again, massive government overreach into areas that are none of its business.
It’s the sheer wilful arrogance. These people think that they can not only dictate to people, but that they can dictate to global manufacturers.
People clearly won’t buy these, infantile, laughably overpriced and real-world useless toys. The solution? “Force” manufacturers to “force” us by, essentially, giving us no option. Market doesn’t work, well we need to create a “market” that does what we want. Go comrades!
(how much of the new market is private buyers? Could a large company buyer – a Hertz or Enterprise say – buy RHD cars abroad and import them for use? As they are not selling, would this fall within the dictat? Just a thought).
“Yeah, think you won’t have one!” I can just see the pouty thrust out lower lip sulk of the “minister”, doubling down in a way that makes a Japanese banzai charge look like a stealthy ninja infiltration.
My car is fine, and has a good few years left in it (a good 50k miles as a minimum, perhaps 4 years at current mileage). The next one I plan on buying will very likely be new (my first) to coincide with retirement and will very probably see me out.
Do they realise what they are doing, or do they just not care? Given their spineless cowardice, I suspect the former. I still can’t understand though, how it is possible to be SO totally and utterly detached from reality.
I will be watching with interest, and stocking up on the popcorn.
I’m staying with my older Diesel 4×4 and keeping it properly serviced. They can stuff their net zero right where their solar arrays don’t work.
+1
It appears that the power of advertising is not as great as some people think. You never see TV adverts these days for petrol cars. It’s all adverts for hybrids and electric cars. And yet, petrol cars must still be selling well, otherwise the gubbermint would not be implementing these proposals. Most drivers clearly don’t want electric cars, in spite of all the propaganda and advertising.
No amount of propaganda and advertising will overcome the reality that they are far too expensive and impracticable for the average motorist.
“I have no intention of buying a milk float.” You left out “incendiary”.
This subject cam up as an aside at Tim Worstal’s blog. I commented there:
Why do the clueless morons in the government think that electric cars are better for the environment than ICE cars? Anyone who does even the most cursory bit of research can see that they are far far worse. The batteries are an environmental disaster and they still use energy predominantly generated from fossil fuels but far less efficiently. If CO2 emissions really are a problem, why do governments only promote “solutions” that don’t work? The obvious answer would be a massive expansion of nuclear power along with converting things to run on electricity wherever it is practical. Wherever it is practical being an important caveat.
“The UK meeting its ambitious Net Zero targets”
I’m sick and fucking tired of seeing this (or similar). No one asked ME (or anyone else) if I/we wanted to embrace these arbitrary targets, so stop pretending we’re all on board with this utter crap…
China and India are doing the exact opposite to Net Zero and laughing their heads off at our utter stupidity.
I am astonished at the collective lunacy displayed by nearly every western government.
Europe, USA, Canada,Australia, New Zealand ,all are hellbent on making life worse, instead of better.
I am 85 years old and have lived through the deprivations of the war and the immediate post war years in the UK. I can well remember coming home from school to a cold dark house ,waiting for the electricity to be restored.I have watched and enjoyed the increasing prosperity of almost everyone, with access to better ,cheaper,and more varied food ,clothes etc.
Now it seems the very people who should still be striving to make life even better and spread the benefits more widely are doing the exact opposite and making things worse.
What compounds the situation is the other political parties are all just as bad.
Will it take some sort of rebellion to snap the elite out of their stupidity?
How many of their heads will have to roll?
Invest in second hand cars. NOW.
“And yet, petrol cars must still be selling well”
Currently roughly two out of three new cars sold in the UK are internal combustion.
I am currently buying a new motorcycle. When it finally turns up. Petrol, of course. I will never buy one of the hideous electric bikes.
“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”
I think the gods want to destroy Western civilisation. The rush to net zero and the insistence that wind and solar can get us there, the trans nonsense, the 15 minute cities nonsense, our porous borders. The list goes on.
The rest of the world must be shaking their heads and/or laughing at our stupidity.
Laughing.
Tinfoil hat warning…..
UK leaders are from or are in the thrall of India
US leaders are in the pocket of China……
They will meet their targets. It is easy enough. Add £1K to the price of every car that is not electric. Sell electric cars for half price. There are enough suckers out there and job done. Although I see the number of new car sold dropping significantly.
Yet again the average consumer pays for the governments insanity.
Eventually we will tire of these nutters that we call politicians. I’m hoping for some form of justice but can’t see the wimps we call the population doing it. Voting them out will be the best we can expect.
I’m 75, and have an eight-year old VW petrol engined Golf, so it’ll easily last me out until I stop driving in a dozen or so years time!
I have no need for new bells and whistles, I only do 3,000 miles a year, and use an electric bicycle as we’re a bit hilly around here, and I need a little help here and there…
Sod spending my pensions on some spurious climate change rubbish, dreamed up by thick politicians, and easily advantaged by clever manufacturers!
Now this illustrates why governments took firearms from us, because they are scared of us !
I saw an advert that said there are now more charging points for milk floats than petrol stations. Talk about disengenous. The average petrol station has between 6 to 12 pumps. In one hour (if each car takes 5 mins to fill up and pay)between 72 to 144 vehicles can fill up. Meanwhile the one charging point hasn’t even topped up one car. There is no way we can all swap to milk floats, which seems to be the aim not environmental concerns. Those that escape the cull of private transport will then have to face the next obsession of brake and rubber particles.
In order to avoid fines when electric cars don’t sell well, manufacturers will need to reduce the amount of petrol cars available, damaging the industry. This will just prompt the Government to say, ‘Look, our targets are working’, while people in the industry start to loose their jobs
OMG I have EXACTLY the same view. Electric cars are a fad. They are going nowhere. Have bog all range and take ages to charge. They can be switched off remotely too and will track your mileage. You can see what is coming. I might replace my old Lexus with another petrol Lexus. While I can. I am not buying a useless electric car for £50K. Nor a heat pump. CO2 is 0.04% of the atmosphere. It is a trace gas and essential for plant growth. thank God that India and China are not going up the same blind alley as the West is with this net zero utter madness. There is no climate catastrophe, just the final part of leaving the last ice age.