In the Present day it is clear to all of us that Environmental impacts are high on everyone's list of things to do - Nothing more so than fossil fuel usage within the UK.

The recent announcement on the Combustion engine vehicle sales ban being brought forward to 2030, will see a ban on all wholly combustion engine derived vehicles within the UK by 2030. Let put this announcement into perspective:

1) London/ Rest of UK mismatch - While a high portion of the UK's current government business is conducted within the metropolitan area of London it is clear that such decisions are based around the city's travel ecosystem. This does not match the demographic - Travel in the rest of the UK still heavily relies on a form of road transport. - Not the tube, Bicycles or even motorcycles at push.

2) Technological advancement - It is claimed all motor manufacturers are ahead of the curve for their timeline on switching to Electric - The reality is this could not be further from the truth - Key Technology is still only in mid life cycle of making electric viable to the average Joe at the dealers. The likes of Telsa give the population a false sense of Security that the technology is ready for the masses

3) Infrastructure - Walk around your local neighborhood, how many residential homes, businesses or parking spaces are there installed, not many? this is a huge problem. Not just for the average Joe, but to the government and businesses alike. Image if we adopted electric now as we are encouraged to. where would you park your car to charge for the 40 mins+ you need, how will those living in flats do this? who is going to pay for the cost of installing the copious amount of chargers in these residential areas. 

4) Manufacturer captivation - Think of the current manufacturers producing electric cars at present - They all have different charge points/adapters and pricing structures all of which you may well be penalized for as a consumer - Want to charge at a Tesla station with a Renault?.... Sorry not possible. 

5) Economy/Jobs - The UK has an admirable Research & development and Manufacturing base. There are no major hubs producing or developing such technology at present en-mass. Jobs will be lost as a result of this static approach which does not match the the 2030 deadline - major investment is required to be committed from the government and manufacturers.

6) Vehicle cost - Every time i look at an advertisement for  electric vehicles, they look appealing and bristling with technology you would pay extra for on conventional cars - then i see the price - Today's current climate does not lend itself to luxuries but rather necessities and that is exactly how Electric cars are viewed a present a luxury. 

7) Hybrid/Plug-in cross Over - This stage of transition for vehicles to hybrid (electric/Gasoline) is ideal to allow the industry and the population to adjust to a future life as electric consumers, however The timelines now quoted are too finite to allow the population to adjust - Hybrid's are an ideal solution to reducing emissions and crucially reliance on diesel. 

8) Electric segmentation - There are no plans to force logistical trucks/vans to commit to the ban of 2030 - this essentially is an admission that the onus is being placed on the population to stomach the costs of the moving to electric and an admittance that the technology does not cater for all modes of transport - Would you feel Ok with sitting at service station waiting for your eco friendly car charging while huge amounts of lorries/trucks and vans hurtle past you conventionally on 6 litre diesel engines?

9) Tax implications - The government have placed initiatives and grants to encourage you to buy electric cars. Low tax and energy costs are a convincing driver to buy one (minus the excess cost of the car) - When full take up is adopted, how will the government respond to the loss of taxable income on the treasury on fossil fuels and VED? Taxing the alternative fuel is the only option, as electric is so cheap there is scope to increase tax on each Kwh of usage you use than any fuel combined. In turn energy prices will go up, including your home energy plan. to claw back any lost revenue.

This petition is not a call for the removal of the ban but a return to existing deadlines. every country needs to acknowledge and do its bit for the environment. however it should not  be at the expense of the average Joe's quality of life. The UK should also be measuring the output of other worldwide countries on converting to electric and adjusting. 

Objective 1 = Revert the 2030 ban back to 2040 as a feasible time line for full electric adoption in passenger transport 

Objective 2 = Promote Hybrid/plug in use as an interim and joint solution to full electric 

Objective 3 = Address infrastructure to cope with growing Electric demand.