Experts have warned that the UK needs to take drastic action to support retrofitting petrol and diesel vehicles or the country could fall behind in major net zero goals.
A new whitepaper has outlined what can be done to achieve environmental goals while also benefitting the spread of electric vehicles across the UK.
Research suggests that support and regulation for retrofitting vehicles is at a “shockingly low level”, despite it saving carbon and material waste, as well as saving on spending for new electric vehicles.
Recently, the Climate Change Committee warned that the UK was making “worryingly slow” progress towards its net zero goals, prompting the development of the whitepaper.
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BEDEO
The data, from BEDEO, highlights how retrofitting is a popular technique commonly used in France as it extends the life of older petrol and diesel vehicles, as well as making them more environmentally friendly.
France also offers drivers a grant worth €6,000 per vehicle (£5,105) to help them retrofit their vehicles to electric.
The whitepaper, entitled “Accelerating the Transition, Supporting our Businesses: Enabling Low-Emission Fleets with Retrofit Electrification”, will be submitted to the Government’s recent classic car consultation.
It was launched to look at the DVLA’s treatment of older vehicles and how the agency can improve the registration process for conversions.
Osman Boyner, who founded BEDEO in 2009, has championed the electrification of UK fleets since 2012 but said a lot of work was needed for the adoption of EVs.
​He said that when he started the company, the UK was attractive because of its “pioneering vision” for an electric future, yet now admits that it seems to have fallen by the wayside.
He added: “The UK was one of the first countries to offer the plug-in car grant, which is now no longer in use.
“Plus the plug-in van grant, which is due to close in 2025 and has significantly reduced from £8,000 (and even up to £16,000 for the N2 category) to £5,000 in that time [from 2012 to now].
“The Government also got muddled up by its 2030 to 2035 ban on ICEs and lost a lot of support from SMEs, especially when the cost for them to adopt a new EV (car and van) is nearly 20 per cent more than a diesel equivalent.”
The paper warns that there are 4.1 million vans in Great Britain as of 2020, covering 55.5 billion miles annually, meaning emissions will continue to be produced until after 2040 unless they are converted to cleaner forms of energy.
Retrofitting vehicles has been described as the “missing link” to electrification, with BEDEO calling on the Government to introduce new support mechanisms and “regulate it correctly”.
Boyner continued, saying: “The retrofit market is a bit of a ‘wild west’ at the moment – anyone could take a used EV platform, add it to a vehicle and offer it for sale.
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“They do not have to undergo any testing or validation, and if it’s for a classic vehicle, no MOT would be needed, either.
“Electric retrofit deserves to have its own regulation, terms and conditions to meet before converting a vehicle and putting it on the road, for the sake of other drivers and occupants of the vehicles.”