Whitehall car fleets to go all-electric by 2030

The Department for Transport has reiterated its pledge to make sure that all central government cars will be electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030, with at least 25% by 2022.

The transport secretary Chris Grayling revealed yesterday (13 June) that he has written to every Whitehall department to reinforce the pledge.

Mr Grayling said the Government Car Service, which is managed by the Department for Transport, is well on track to meet the targets, with electric vehicles making up nearly 23% of the entire fleet.

Every Whitehall department has now been given detailed guidance on how they can drive this transition in their own fleet, asking them to publish a yearly progress report.

Electric Vehicle – Hakan Dhalstrom via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The directive comes just a day after the outgoing prime minister, Theresa May announced that the UK will eradicate its net contribution to climate change by 2050 through an amendment to the 2008 Climate Change Act.

‘We want the UK to be the best place in the world to own an ultra-low emission vehicle, and as a government we have to lead by example,’ said Mr Grayling.

‘I am pleased with the change we are making to the Government Car Service, but this now needs to be reflected in all fleets that are controlled by government.

‘Only yesterday, the prime minister made the bold commitment that the UK will end its net contribution to climate change by 2050. It is absolutely vital that all parts of government play their part in delivering this ambitious target.’