Transport Committee launches new inquiry into EV transition
Mon 05 January 2026
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The cross-party Parliamentary Transport Committee has launched a new inquiry into how the Government can accelerate the country’s transition to widespread use of electric vehicles. It comes against the backdrop of the ZEV Mandate and the recent announcement that a new mileage-based fee will apply to battery-electric and plug-in-hybrid cars from April 2028 called the Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED). Meanwhile, the Committee has published a report calling for action to secure skills needed in the UK for transport manufacturing.
The Committee says its inquiry will examine what the impacts of the eVED charges might be, and how the Government can tackle issues that may be putting the brakes on the transition to EVs and affecting consumer confidence, including affordability of vehicles and charging. MPs will look at the rollout and availability of charging infrastructure in different parts of the country.
Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury MP said: “Are we really en route to a petrol and diesel-free future on Britain’s roads? After a major intervention in the Budget, this Committee will look under the bonnet at the Government’s policies to steer us through this period of major change to the way millions of us get around from day to day.
“We will kick the tyres and see what can be done to jump start the rollout of charging infrastructure and ask how else government could remove barriers to broader uptake of EVs and incentivise their use.
“We now welcome written evidence submissions from industry experts, researchers and others to help inform our journey through this inquiry.”
In a related development, a new report from the Transport Committee urges the Government to make the most of once-in-a-generation opportunities to better support the transport manufacturing sector to nurture and grow the skills it needs to thrive.
The report calls for action to seize the opportunities aligned to the Government’s legislative agenda on bus and rail services and cleaner fuels. It explores the skills needs of the transport manufacturing sector and suggests a series of recommendations to better attract entrants into the sector and support the retention and development of existing employees, especially women.
To better help address the challenges faced by the sector, the report says that the Department for Transport should gather information from transport manufacturers on how well the UK’s vocational training system is delivering a robust pipeline of skills and should then share those findings across Government to inform further development of vocational training pathways.
It calls for Skills England to consult on the benefits of a ‘competency passport’ that would harness transferrable skills within the transport manufacturing sector and help workers to move between roles.
Image courtesy Instavolt
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