Prime Minister’s automotive roundtable: 19 October 2021

The Prime Minister met with representatives for leading British and global companies in the automotive sector this afternoon (19 October 2021) to discuss the UK’s electric vehicle revolution.

The Prime Minister set out the UK’s world-leading commitment to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, with growing numbers of electric vehicles coming on the market and more chargepoints being rolled out across the country. He also welcomed company investments in the UK this year and industry commitments to a zero-emission future.

They discussed how to accelerate the revolution further, support the industry with the transition to a cleaner future including in battery technology, and build public confidence further in good charging infrastructure. They also spoke about creating and supporting high-quality jobs and reskilling the automotive workforce.

They agreed to work together in developing and delivering the UK’s ambitious plans.

New funding commitments made in the government’s Net Zero Strategy today include an extra £350 million to support the electrification of UK vehicles and their supply chains, as part of our £1 billion commitment. Also, a further £620 million for targeted electric vehicle grants and infrastructure has been set out, with a focus on local on-street residential charge points. This brings total investment in EV grants and infrastructure to £2.5 billion since the 2020 Spending Review.

Plans to put thousands more zero-emission cars and vans onto UK roads through a zero-emission vehicle mandate has also been confirmed today.

Companies from across the supply chain and industry represented included:

• Nissan
• Stellantis
• BMW
• Ford
• Toyota
• Arrival
• JLR
• InstaVolt
• Pod Point
• BP
• Bosch
• Envision
• BYD
• Geely

The UK Business Secretary, Transport Secretary, Trade Secretary and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury also joined the roundtable.