The UK risks being left in the slow lane when it comes to building electric cars, according to a new report.
Influential green group Transport and Environment (T&E) says that since 2018, the UK produced roughly half of all-electric cars built in Europe. But it claims a lack of investment by UK manufacturers means that by the end of the decade that figure will have fallen to just 4%. This comes at a time when the market is expanding rapidly.
As a result, the Brussels-based non-profit says that, despite being one of the first countries to outlaw the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, the UK will be almost wholly reliant on electric vehicles imported from abroad.
The market for electric cars remains relatively small, but it is growing rapidly, largely due to increasingly stringent emissions limits. A number of European governments have already set targets for phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered vehicles, in their efforts to meet climate change targets.
The UK, which plans to ban the sale of most new cars with internal combustion engines by 2030, is among the most ambitious. But according to the study by T&E, manufacturers based here are among the worst prepared for the change. The BBC has approached the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for comment.
-BBC