Cheaper electricity needed to drive EV adoption, says climate advisor

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is calling on the Government to make electricity cheaper to increase the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).

In its first assessment of the new Government’s progress on reducing emissions, the independent, statutory body found that Government policies to reduce emissions have improved since last year.

With more action, the CCC says the UK can hit its legally binding climate targets and improve energy security for households and businesses across the UK.

It found that there has been “positive delivery” on key areas this year, including new car electric vehicle market share (19.6% in 2024), with much of this progress due to policies set out under the previous Government.

However, the CCC acknowledged that the new Government has also made some bold policy decisions – notably on removing planning barriers on renewable deployment, clarity on the clean power mission, and the reinstatement of the 2030 phase-out date for new petrol and diesel vehicles. 

Interim chair of the Climate Change Committee, Professor Piers Forster, said: “The UK can be proud of our progress in reducing emissions. We’ve cut them by over 50% since 1990.

“Our country is among a leading group of economies demonstrating a commitment to decarbonise society. This is to be celebrated: delivering deep emissions reduction is the only way to slow global warming.

“However, the Government needs to do more to ensure people see the benefits of climate action in their bills.

“Given increasingly unstable geopolitics, it is also important to get off unreliable fossil fuels and onto homegrown, renewable energy as quickly as possible.

“The fossil fuel era is over – cheap, clean electricity is our future.”

Over the past year, the UK has made progress on reducing emissions. Emissions fell 2.5% in 2024, the tenth consecutive year of sustained reduction in emissions, excluding the Covid-19 pandemic years 2020 and 2021. The UK’s emissions have halved (-50.4%) since 1990. 

Priority recommendations in the report include: making electricity cheaper; rapid expansion of a low-carbon electricity system; and publish a strategy to support skills.