UK to ban petrol and diesel powered cars by 2040; but are car makers ready for the ban?



The UK government has just made a bold announcement to ban all diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040. This court-mandated move follows the French government’s recent commitment to ban all cars with internal combustion engines (ICE).

This announcement follows after the pressure imposed on the government to introduce new strategies to tackle high levels of pollutants produced on the road after High Court judges said that the government is failing to meet the European Union (EU) pollution limits.

More EVs and PHEVs on the road soon?

UK ministers have also announced a £255 million (RM1.2 billion) fund to assist local city councils in the effort to cut emissions. The funds can be used to implement measures such as changing road layouts, restructuring of traffic light timings for smoother traffic flow, awareness campaigns and etc.

While an outright ban on cars with ICE may seem like a drastic measure to curb pollution and can be viewed as punishing car makers whom offer ICE, many manufacturers have already been making a gradual shift to cleaner means of powering their vehicles.

London EV Company (formerly known as The London Taxi Company) has also taken measures to revolutionise the transportation sector with its new electric-powered taxi while premium car makers such as Volvo and BMW Group have confirmed that their entire model line-up will offer some form of electrification option. All of which will be production-ready when the bans take effect.