In the eleven years I have been with the SMMT we have a hosted many conferences, seminars and other events covering a whole range of topics, reflecting the diverse nature of the automotive sector.
This week we staged, for the second time, our Electrified event, focusing on the decarbonisation of the road transport sector. The quality and seniority of the speakers, and the larger number of attendees is testament to just how rapidly and fundamentally the industry is changing.
Even in the passenger car sector, where the technology direction is much clearer, there was still much discussion of what lies ahead. For the CV and Bus & Coach sectors, uncertainty remains, particularly around infrastructure, where for all practical purposes, there isn’t any.
With more than 150 models of plug-in cars and vans now on sale in the UK, and with British factories having produced a quarter of a million electric cars, vans, buses and trucks in the last decade, the lack of infrastructure is huge barrier to widespread market uptake.
We need government and other industry stakeholders to match the commitment and investment of the automotive sector, and ‘plug the gap’ between ambition and delivery, to make Britain a world leader in zero emission mobility.
