Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on licensing electric black cabs.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Whilst the Secretary of State for Transport has not had any direct discussion with the Mayor of London on licensing electric taxis, revised best practice guidance was issued to all licensing authorities in November last year recommending they enable as many types of vehicles as possible to be licensed. Licensing authorities should give very careful consideration to a policy that automatically rules out particular types of vehicle or prescribes only one type or a small number of types of vehicle.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the use of (a) low carbon and (b) synthetic fuels for L-Category vehicles in the transition to net zero.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and was supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement. We are now analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.
The Government’s approach to delivering its ambitions for greener transport is not outcome neutral - the end goal must be zero exhaust emissions. Vehicles that burn synthetic fuels still emit air pollutants at the exhaust. However, the Government understands the need to decarbonise vehicles on the road today and the potential contribution synthetic fuels can make. This is why the Government has increased targets for the supply of low carbon fuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and will continue to review that scheme to ensure that it can continue to support delivery of its carbon budgets.
Synthetics and other alternative fuels can be expensive, energy intensive to produce and do not always improve air quality. They show greatest potential in areas that are difficult to electrify, such as aviation. Relying on synthetic fuels to decarbonise road transport would put the UK at risk of failing to meet its economy wide targets on both CO2 and air pollution emissions.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take account of the life cycle analysis of L-Category vehicles when phasing out new non zero emission variants.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement. We are now analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.
Analysis of lifecycle emissions is an important consideration as we accelerate the transition to a zero-emission fleet of road vehicles. Whilst there is no internationally recognised method of measuring lifecycle emissions in any transport sector, the Department’s Transport Energy Model, published in 2018, and the externally commissioned Lifecycle Analysis of UK Road Vehicles, published in 2021, provide clear assessments of the relative environmental impacts of different road vehicle technologies and fuels in the UK.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about their decision not to set a date for the phase out of new non zero emission L-Category vehicles.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The UK’s exit from the European Union has provided the opportunity for this country to develop its own regulatory approach to decarbonising its entire fleet of new road vehicles, supporting UK industry and riders in the process.