THE Island’s motor trade has told the government that it should hang fire on its plans to phase out petrol and diesel cars from 2030 until the UK’s position is clear.
Environment Minister Steve Luce has launched a consultation into proposal and Islanders have until the end of the month to have their say.
Although the government’s position is not fixed, its starting position – as outlined in the 2022 States-approved ‘Carbon Neutral Roadmap’ – is that all imported new and second-hand petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 1 January 2030.
From 2035, all cars and small vans coming into Jersey will have to be fully electric.
Jersey’s position is broadly aligned with the UK, where all of Jersey’s cars for sale come from. However, the Jersey Motor Trades Federation has expressed doubts that Jersey’s current stance is the right one.
Earlier this week, the JEP reported that more than 1,000 Islanders had engaged with the consultation so far. The newspaper also attended a class at Les Quennevais School, where members of the government’s Environment and Climate Team explained some of the key issues around the proposed phase out, which is seen as an important step on the Island’s journey to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Adding to the debate, JMTF president Miles Jude said: “In essence, our view is that the government should not do anything. This is because the issue takes care of itself: UK manufactures will only supply Jersey dealers with what is available in the UK market, so our government need not spend money drafting and enacting new legislation.
“We firmly believe that with Europe recently relaxing their ambitions, the UK will follow suit.”
Mr Jude is also managing director of Derek Warwick Honda, the Island’s dealership for the Japanese marque.
He said: “Honda currently only has one electric vehicle in its range and has reduced its research and development budget for EV development by 50%.
“Most manufacturers have vastly reduced their EV aspirations due to the changing geopolitical and economic landscape combined with investment in alternative sustainable alternatives to electric. The likes of Porsche, BMW and Mercedes are all developing new internal combustion engines.”
He added: “Our main concern regarding the government’s proposal is not allowing used vehicle imports. As well as being construed as an invasion of both civil liberties and rights, almost all the repercussions the JMTF have identified – including rising costs and the threat to the viability of garages – relate to being unable to import used cars.
“As I have told both ministers and officers, Jersey will not become a dumping ground for high polluting vehicles because £12,500 Vehicle Emissions Duty prohibits these imports.
“In short, while aligning with the UK’s ban on new internal combustion engine vehicles is understandable, Jersey’s additional proposal to prohibit the importation of used vehicles raises significant economic, social, and infrastructure challenges.”
