ZEV Mandate revisions don’t go far enough
A third of dealers do not believe the ZEV Mandate revisions go far enough, according to a new survey by Startline Motor Finance.
Its latest Used Car Tracker found that while 53% believe the changes announced by the government will offer ‘breathing space’ for the industry, 45% believe further action will be necessary and 35% say core challenges preventing EV uptake such as charging infrastructure have not been addressed.
Meanwhile, 32% do not believe the measures taken will result in more new EV sales.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “This amounts to a cautious welcome for the ZEV Mandate changes by dealers. They think the government has taken on board the concerns raised and taken actions that will at least buy some time. However, our research also indicates they have quite a long list of ongoing concerns about the electric car market.”
Further action
He continued: “Our reading of these results is that dealers think the ZEV Mandate changes are more of a holding pattern than a long-term solution. It could be that its targets and regulations need to be revisited periodically in response to real world market conditions, and the road to new car market electrification will be more of a bumpy one than once envisaged.
“It’s also interesting to see almost a third of dealers want to see the government take action to support electric car sales in the used as well as new markets.
“While the used electric car sector shows very real signs of stabilising, many retailers are wary, having had their fingers burnt by holding stock when values plummeted dramatically a year or two ago. Some also believe help is needed to make these vehicles more financially attractive to used buyers.”
