Development and take-up of electric vehicles are to be investigated by the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee in an inquiry launched today.

The committee will examine barriers to the market’s development and look at the support needed to progress; consider how the government can optimise electric vehicles as part of a strong industrial strategy; and look at charging infrastructure, purchase costs and incentives to increase sales.

Government de-carbonisation aims for road transport and its ability to respond to potentially disruptive shifts in the market, such as the emergence of driverless cars, will also be scrutinised.

The inquiry will cover all electric road vehicles, including buses, HGVs, cars, motorcycles and vans.

Committee chair Iain Wright MP, said: “As a committee we want to investigate concerns that electric vehicle sales and roll-out are not as advanced as they should be.”

The committee is inviting submissions on written evidence on the following issues by Thursday 13 April 2017 via the inquiry webpage:

  • Are the key barriers to development of the UK’s electric vehicle market?
  • Does the government’s industrial strategy sufficiently address the challenges and opportunities for electric vehicles?
  • What support for purchase costs should the government provide after 2018, in response to the changing costs of electric vehicles?
  • How best can the government ensure there is consistent provision of charging infrastructure across the country?
  • Is the government’s road transport de-carbonisation strategy sufficiently flexible to adapt to potentially disruptive market trends such as driverless cars? How might these impact requirements for, and use of, charging infrastructure?

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