Institution responds to UK Government pledge on zero carbon cars

The Institution's Philippa Oldham says it is imperative target is followed by a clear and enforceable roadmap.

Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport and Manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to the UK Government's pledge to make all cars zero carbon by 2050:

"The Government has set an ambitious and admiral target, but it is easy for long-term targets to be set by politicians who won't be in office by 2050.

"It is imperative that this is followed by a clear and enforceable roadmap on how it is going to be achieved.  Not only do we need greater Research & Development spending to drive down the cost of low carbon vehicles, and improve their performance. It is critical that we look at the infrastructure supporting these vehicles as those that use electricity will need to have zero carbon electricity to charge them up to be truly carbon neutral.”