Select committee: Transport Committee
Recommendation 16
First Report - Zero emission vehicles
Published 28 Jul 2021
Paragraph 72
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Zero emission vehicles and road pricing All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Government must explain how it plans to tackle the potential price differential faced by people who cannot charge their vehicles at home and are compelled to rely on on-street public charge points. It could do this by: a) protecting the consumer from excessive costs where there are risks of local monopolies emerging; and b) addressing the discrepancy between the 5% VAT incurred on electricity at home compared with the 20% VAT incurred at public charge points.
From: Transport Committee, First Report - Zero emission vehicles (HC 27), paragraph 72, 28 July 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 25 October 2021 (deadline 28 September 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government accepts some of the Committee's recommendations in full and others in part, and says it will bring forward further proposals and an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy.
- On a ZEV mandate, the government "partially accepts" the recommendation, with a ZEV Mandate combined with a CO2 regulation as its "preferred option". Specific proposals will follow the Green Paper consultation, "most likely starting in early 2022".
- It accepts the recommendations on a charging infrastructure strategy, saying the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, "to be launched this Autumn", will outline roles and responsibilities so "no areas are left behind".
- On funding "charge point champions", it partially accepts but says the LEVI fund "is a capital only fund and cannot be used to pay for chargepoint champions directly".
- On mandating industry pricing to shift charging behaviour, it partially accepts, saying "it is not our current intention to mandate" this in full. It has committed to legislation in Autumn 2021 requiring smart functionality for new home and workplace chargepoints.