The Vice President of an electric car facility in Buckinghamshire said the industry has been ‘let down and betrayed’ by government plans to delay a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles.

Data intelligence company GeoTab opened its first state-of-the-art electric car facility on Wellington Road in High Wycombe in April 2023, promising to make the town a hub of “cutting-edge innovation” and help drive forward a “cleaner and more sustainable future for transportation”.

These hopes may have been dashed, however, by plans unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this week to delay the planned ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK, pushing it back from 2030 to 2035 to avoid “imposing more costs on working people”.

David Savage, Vice President for GeoTab in the UK and Ireland, said the company felt “let down and betrayed” by the plans which he said went against the sizeable investments made by the transportation industry into the country's electric vehicle industry.

“We need to be investing more into this transition, not reversing it. Not only to stimulate the UK’s position in this emerging sector but also to build a sustainable future for us all.

“The government has already walked back various incentives for Zero Emission Vehicles – and despite the Prime Minister’s claim that the long-term interests of our country must come before ‘short term political needs’, climate change is simply not going to wait.”

READ MORE: Is the nightmare over? Frustrating A404 lane closure look finally set to finish

He added: “The recent discussions around the introduction of ULEZ show how harmful tailpipe emissions are in heavily populated areas. The decision by the government to withdraw the plug-in car grants (PICG) and then potentially delay the ban on the sale of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles beyond the 2030 deadline creates a huge amount of uncertainty when what we need is a strong and clear commitment to a greener future.

“The government previously noted its leadership position with this policy, in its own words stating that it ‘(puts) the UK on course to be the fastest G7 country to decarbonise cars and vans.’ It is troubling that it is U-turning on this commitment.”

It comes after Steve Baker, Conservative MP for Wycombe, spoke out in support of the new plans, describing it as a “pragmatic approach to address climate change” at a time when the UK is already “over-delivering on its (environmental) commitments”.

He wrote on his website: “Politicians must be honest about the tangible impact proposed reforms will have on household budgets and living standards, particularly at a time when many are struggling with the cost of living.

“The broad range of pragmatic reforms will give people more freedom, save households money and set us on a proportionate and realistic path to Net Zero, (including) a more consumer-friendly transition to electric vehicles.

“We cannot reach Net Zero by impoverishing families.”