UK to ban hybrid cars from 2040.

Hybrid cars that rely on traditional engines, such as the Toyota Prius, would be banned by 2040 under clean-air plans being drawn up by the UK government that would outlaw up to 98 per cent of the vehicles currently on the road. Vehicles such as the Prius, the best-selling hybrid car in Britain, will no longer be classified as “environmentally friendly” enough to be sold, according to three people briefed on the government’s plans to tackle emissions and air quality. The exact wording is still a matter of consultation between several parts of the government, with the transport, environment and business departments all feeding into the final document, the people said. The plans are backed by Michael Gove, environment secretary, and Greg Clark, business secretary. But Chris Grayling, transport secretary, who has Toyota’s UK headquarters in his constituency, is resisting the limits.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: “It is categorically untrue that government is planning to ban the sale of hybrid cars in the UK by 2040.” Last July, the government outlined plans to ban the sale of all “conventional” cars from 2040. But the vague wording caused confusion among carmakers because it was unclear whether cars that use both batteries and traditional engines would be permitted. The new document aims to clarify the government’s position and outline how it intends to increase public demand for electric vehicles in the interceding years. Three people involved in the decision-making process said the proposed rules would limit new car sales to those that can travel at least 50 miles using only electric power.

The change would outlaw more than 98 per cent of the vehicles currently sold in Britain and require manufacturers to switch to vehicles predominantly driven by batteries — though they might be able to have petrol engines for back-up or support. Plug-in cars that have both large batteries and a traditional engine will also be permitted, although the exact wording for those vehicles has yet to be clarified, according to four people briefed on the government’s plans. There are several types of hybrid vehicles, from the Prius, which uses electric power and petrol simultaneously, to plug-in vehicles that can travel for significant distances on battery power alone.

New car sales in Britain have fallen 8.8 per cent so far this year, a decline that has led to hundreds of job cuts at Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan, the UK’s two largest auto manufactures, as well as lost work for hundreds of dealerships. The industry lays the blame for the decline in part on public confusion over the government’s policy around future vehicle bans. “We cannot support ambition levels which do not appreciate how industry, the consumer or the market operate and which are based neither on fact nor substance,” said Mike Hawes, chief executive of the industry body SMMT. “Unrealistic targets and misleading messaging on bans will only undermine our efforts to realise this future, confusing consumers and wreaking havoc on the new car market and the thousands of jobs it supports.”

FT.com