UK government proposals to ban the sale of new fossil fuel-powered motorbikes and mopeds by 2035 have come under fire from the motorcycle industry.
A new public consultation on the matter is being launched in order to ‘accelerate the transition to zero emission travel’ by phasing out the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) motorbikes and mopeds by 2035 or ‘even earlier’ for some vehicles.
The consultation will run until 21 September this year and seeks opinions on ending the sale of all non zero emission L-category vehicles (mopeds, motorcycles, three-wheelers, and quads) by 2035.
Some categories of bike are planned to end by 2030, including learner-friendly L3e-A1 motorcycles and 50cc scooters.
The plans have faced criticism from The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), which says the L3e-A1 vehicles are more environmentally efficient than some electric cars, producing no more than 14.8bhp.
Transport minister Trudy Harrison said: “Across road, rail, sea and air we have taken decisive action to reduce harmful emissions while enabling innovation and growing the economy.
“We have provided certainty to both the industry and consumers through investment to stimulate a new market to reduce the need for fossil fuels.”
But MCIA chief executive Tony Campbell said: “The Government has not considered the complexities of the L-Category sector in terms of what is and isn’t feasible when it comes to phasing out the other key segments of the market.
“The MCIA and its members will be continuing to push the case for why large capacity motorcycles need more time to phase out, and are looking forward to fully engaging with the consultation process to ensure the best outcome for industry.”
As well as the consultation period, the Department for Transport (DfT) is also introducing £350,000 in funding for a competition to help develop the supply chain for zero-emissions motorcycles.
It says that this will help ‘create a manufacturing base for small, emission free vehicles’ which could lead to ‘thousands’ of new jobs across the UK.
The consultation is being launched a year on from the deployment of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which set out a new set of measures that would be introduced to help improve air quality while creating ‘tens of thousands’ of green-related jobs in the UK.
I'm celebrating one year since the launch of our Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which has seen the installation of thousands of EV chargepoints plus new footpaths & cycle lanes to support #ActiveTravel and #NetZero🌍✅ https://t.co/YO7O8HIxxE
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) July 14, 2022
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