A major UK supermarket has called on Labour to ramp up its commitment to electric vehicles, warning that without urgent action, the brand could suffer.
The warning comes after the boss of UK chain Iceland stated that delaying electric vehicle incentives has put extra pressure on the supermarket, which risks facing hefty penalties for failing to electrify its fleet.
The brand currently has over 1,700 vans in its fleet, which deliver groceries to customers, but the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate risks posing greater threats to the business, which will soon berequired to upgrade.
Iceland chairman Richard Walker has called on the Government to "showclear leadership" and help encourage the transition to electric.
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The supermarket has 1,700 vans in its fleet which need to be electrified by 2035
ICELAND/GETTY
Posting on LinkedIn, Walker said: "I get asked loads about our adoption of electric vehicles. Unfortunately, it isn’t happening fast enough - for us, or indeed across the UK generally. That’s not good for the environment and not good for the country, as we’ll risk costly penalties if targets aren’t met.
"We have welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the Government’s recent consultation on the transition to zero emission vehicles... but now is the time for them to show clear leadership to enable a ramping up of demand."
He cited three things that Labour can do to help with the uptake of more electric cars, the first being to simplify the legislative and operational burdens currently in place for EVs.
Walker also called for a faster rollout and standardisation of public chargers, as well as more support for purchasing incentives for electric vehicles.
He explained that as a responsible retailer, they are committed to reducing the environmental impact of the business, including emissions from home delivery vans.
The company has been working closely with Ford Motor Company to introduce a newer fleet of more efficient vehicles to help reduce CO2 emissions. But he warned that the next step to fully zero emission vehicles "is a challenge for us".
He shared: "We run small store sites, many without space for dedicated charging points. As much as I want the business to go faster on this, additional cost and complexity only serves as a blocker. The Government needs to recognise that reality with regulatory, infrastructure and incentive reforms."
The growing concern by Iceland comes as the UK is looking to ramp up its electric car commitments with a consultation looking to make changes to the terms of the mandate.
The consultation closed on February 18, with the Department for Transport currently reviewing the responses, with a verdict expected soon. Under the current measures, all new petrol and diesel car sales will be banned from the end of the decade.
The consultation detailed: "The transition to electric vehicles brings with it multiple other benefits for the UK. It means increased energy security as we reduce our reliance on imported foreign oil and instead power our transport system through a diversified array of domestic energy sources as the UK moves to becoming a clean energy superpower by 2030.
"And it means cleaner air and quieter streets in our towns and cities, forever removing one of the prime sources of local air pollution."
The consultation added that the previous Conservative Government did "great harm" to the UK’s reputation as a leading nation in the EV transition by moving goalposts on phase-out dates and creating doubt in the minds of investors.
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Changes to the ZEV mandate could be made following a Government consultation
GETTYThe mandate added: "We will not repeat this mistake. All new cars and vans will need to be 100 per cent zero emission by 2035. And no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold after 2030."
