Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement that sales of petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2030, Jane Pocock, Managing Director of Copart UK & Ireland, said:
“We welcome this bold vision from the Prime Minister but planning for 2030 must begin now. Copart will be at the forefront of dealing with the implications of a surge in demand for EV.
We expect a significant increase in the number of motorists taking advantage of government incentives to trade in their petrol or diesel vehicles for low-emissions vehicles, and those used vehicles have to go somewhere.
Copart moves 500,000 vehicles through its auction site each year, and we are steadily building further capacity so that we can handle the increases in the wake of the PM’s announcement and take advantage of our Europe-wide footprint.”
She noted that, as a result of the plans, the government has ruled out new sales of hybrid vehicles from 2035, unless those vehicles can ‘drive a significant distance with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe,’ which will rule out most of the current hybrid models.
Turning to the fleet sector, Jane said:
“Post 2030 there will be a lot of petrol and diesel vehicles remaining on our roads, so the demand for green parts from salvaged vehicles will be significant.
In the next decade Copart will continue to maximise returns for our customers. We won’t be turning our backs on fossil fuel vehicles while there are still millions on the road, and we have the additional advantage of being able to access the overseas market.”
New cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. It is part of his “green industrial revolution” to tackle climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear energy. Read more about the Prime Ministers ‘green plan‘.