The House of Lords has launched an inquiry into electric vehicles (EVs), the upper house of parliament said on Wednesday.

In a media statement, the body said that the aim of the inquiry is to understand how the Government will achieve its target of decarbonising cars and vans in the UK, with a particular focus on passenger cars, as well as exploring the main barriers to doing so. It will also seek to understand the costs, alongside the benefits, associated with the 2030 end date of sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK, and Government progress towards both its 2030 & 2035 deadlines.

The UK will ban the sale of fossil-fuel-only model cars from 2030, while hybrid vehicles that have both a large battery and combustion engine will be banned from sale from 2035.

The inquiry is being carried out by the Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee, which is seeking evidence from local authorities, the industry and others on topics including the government’s approach to achieving the phase-out dates, the experience of buying, using and disposing of an EV, and issues surrounding charging. Evidence can be submitted until 15 September.

Insufficient access to charging infrastructure, along with the high cost of EVs in relation to combustion engine vehicles are seen as two of the biggest barriers to widespread adoption in the UK.

Baroness Kate Parminter, chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee said: “The rubber is now hitting the road – as we can’t get to net zero without individuals making changes to our lives, how we travel and what we buy. Using EVs for passenger transport will be a part of that and the government has committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.”

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