CCC hits back at claims of soft proposals

The government can set a “more ambitious” target for banning the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and vans than that recommended by the Committee on Climate Change, Centrica has said.

In its latest progress report, published today (25 June), the UK’s statutory climate change policy advisor said the date for phasing out sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles should be brought forward to 2032.

The Department for Transport is currently consulting on setting 2035 as the cut-off date for ending the sale of such vehicles, five years earlier than previously proposed in its 2017 ‘Road to Zero;’ consultation paper.

However Jorge Pikunic, head of Centrica Business Solutions, told Utility Week that the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) could be accelerated even faster.

He said: “Centrica believes the government can be more ambitious and bring the phase out date forward to 2030. This will give car manufacturers a clear signal that the UK is committed to EVs. With customer demand and acceptance of EVs at an all-time high, such signals will drive cost savings and help EVs reach cost parity with ICE vehicles by 2025.

“We also believe it’s important that funding to support the cost of charging infrastructure and vehicle purchase remains in place until parity is reached,” he said, adding that Centrica will play its part through installing and optimising charging infrastructure.

Lord Deben, the CCC’s chair, defended the 2032 target at a press briefing yesterday on the progress report by saying it was based on “detailed work” carried out by his body.

“We have to show a mechanism to achieve that (target): we previously said 2035 but earlier if possible. We would like it to be 2030 but we don’t think we can do that.”

He also rejected concerns raised that the CCC tailors its advice to what the government will find acceptable by setting overly cautious targets.

In comments reported by the BBC, Professor Kevin Anderson of Manchester University said: “The committee isn’t looking at what needs to be done – it’s looking at what it can say without being politically ignored. That’s very different.”

Lord Deben responded that Prof Anderson’s comment was an “unacceptable statement”.

“It is not true in any degree, if I have to be tougher or less, I wouldn’t take into account what politicians think about it: that’s not our job. Our job is to say what is true. If he doesn’t like the figures, we have a team of the best people we could have and have done it in most effective way possible.

“We do not write these documents for politicians, we write them from the facts and if those facts are inconvenient, we accept them.”

During the press conference, the CCC’s chief executive Chris Stark said that he “very much hopes” that the Treasury will look at changing its tax treatment of electricity and gas.

“When we see low fossil fuel prices, it is a good opportunity to introduce carbon taxes without increasing the overall burden on consumers,” he said, adding that the CCC has estimated that up to £15 billion per annum in carbon taxes which would also “very substantially change” the incentives to decarbonise.