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Boris Johnson believes 2020 will be the “defining year” for tackling climate change. As part of a green industrial revolution, he has unveiled a ten-point plan that aims to make the UK a

net-zero carbon-emitting nation by 2050. Unfortunately, part of his plan involves the wholesale removal of all petrol and diesel cars from the road by 2030. So, should this be a time for

petrolheads to worry? The 2030 ban means that new vehicles must be electrically powered, although some hybrids will still be allowed until 2035. Within the used-car market – with almost

eight million annual sales – drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles still appear to be allowed to purchase one up until this time. The news will do little to assuage the financial concerns of

the millions who have just bought a second-hand vehicle. Who would choose to buy a traditional car after 2030? The resale value after the ban will likely plummet. Who would want to buy a

second-or third-hand petrol or diesel car knowing that the market and, to a lesser extent, the rest of society will be against them? It is also naive to think that government intervention

can solve a problem so complex as climate change by effectively dictating what we can and cannot buy. The reality is that the state has a terrible track record when it comes to deciding what

we should be driving. At the start of the new millennium, due to the low level of carbon emissions from diesel vehicles, Gordon Brown introduced tax incentives designed to encourage drivers

to switch to these cars. Only when it was revealed many years later that diesel produces high levels of particulates and nitrogen oxide did sales of diesel cars start to decline. Under the

guise of climate purity, New Labour had basically promoted the use of environmentally destructive vehicles. The process of conveying misleading information about the environmental

credentials of a product is known as “greenwashing”. Yet, this is exactly what the Government has done.  Though hybrid drivers have been given a five-year reprieve, spare a thought for the

330,443 greenwashed drivers who have bought one of these vehicles in the last two years. Like diesel, hybrid vehicles were also advocated as a solution to climate change. Hybrids are powered

through a combination of battery-powered motor and internal combustion engine. On battery power alone, these vehicles can run for about 30 miles. With roughly half of all car journeys under

25 miles, this distance is easily met via the hybrid’s small battery. Only when longer distances are required does the combustion engine take over. We need to look carefully at electric

vehicles if we are to avoid history repeating itself. While most will agree that electric cars are a better alternative for the environment, they are not without fault. The extraction

process used in Africa to mine the minerals required for the batteries is extremely damaging to the environment.  Logistical issues are also at stake. As part of a £4 billion project, Boris

has promised to invest £1.3 billion to install charging points in homes and motorways for electric vehicles. Currently just 20,000 charging points exist in the UK. According to the

London-based consultancy Capital Economics, 25 million charging points will be required at a cost of £240 billion. With coronavirus effectively pushing public sector net borrowing towards

£400 billion and with fuel duty (still generating £27.5 billion annually) soon to disappear, this is a hugely ambitious task. How will we pay for it? The road to hell is paved with good

intentions. Due to the ban being brought in earlier, new electric cars are likely to stay far more expensive than their diesel and petrol counterparts. With the cheapest electric car at

roughly £11,000, it will price hundreds of thousands out of the market and off the road. It would be a far better idea to let consumers decide for themselves and choose voluntarily what they

wish to buy. So is that really it? Has the internal combustion engine taken its last ride? It looks likely. With care and maintenance, the average road-life of a car is ten years. Even if

you were to buy a petrol vehicle in the days prior to the ban, all combustion engine vehicles will be effectively mandated off the road by 2040. Yes, climate change is a serious issue. But

we have made an extraordinary amount of progress when it comes to cleaning up our environment. Since 1990 we have cut emissions by more than a third and our economy has been decarbonised

quicker than any of the other 25 countries attending the COP climate summit. This remarkable achievement has come, not through government intervention, but through a combination of the free

market and new, innovative technology. Rather than restricting freedom of choice when it comes to what we drive, Boris should invest in technology to develop alternatives that make our lives

easier. Last October it was revealed that the technology firm Oxbotica was testing cars fitted with autonomous, self-driving technology. Who knows, we may not even need to drive by the time

the ban comes in.  Maybe all this fuss is over nothing. A MESSAGE FROM THEARTICLE _We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every angle. We have an important contribution to

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