7:22 am, August 18, 2023
The former boss of Aston Martin and top Nissan executive Andy Palmer has strongly criticised the government’s lack of plan for EVs and the industry to support them, calling them ‘inept’.
Palmer held various roles at Nissan, working his way up to become chief operating officer at the Japanese firm. He oversaw the introduction of two of Nissan’s most important models in recent years – the Qashqai and Leaf, the latter being the first true mass-market electric car back in 2010.
He moved to head up Aston Martin in 2014, before being ousted in 2020 due to the sports car firm’s falling share prices.
Since then, Palmer has led and worked with various start-up companies in the field of EVs, and has become increasingly outspoken over the government’s approach to electric cars.
In an interview with Car Dealer, he described the UK as taking a ‘flawed approach’.
From 2030, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned, although hybrids – the models of which haven’t yet been specified – will be permitted until 2035, at which point every new car and van sold must be 100 per cent zero emissions.
Palmer said: ‘The UK has taken a flawed direction in my opinion. This is not the 2030 deadline itself, as going with this date is fine, but not having a plan around it is inept.
‘By not defining [what vehicles can be sold after 2030], you automatically create tension, such as with Toyota, as they don’t know whether their hybrid vehicles qualify or not.’
Toyota primarily produces hybrid vehicles at its factory in Burnaston, Derbyshire, where the best-selling Corolla is manufactured.
However, with the government not detailing if its ‘self-charging’ hybrid models will be allowed after 2030, caution has been expressed as to whether Toyota will continue to make cars in Britain.
Palmer added: ‘You’re risking that relationship with Toyota, and you’re not putting any incentives for manufacturing in the UK – quite the opposite.’
The former Aston Martin boss said he always believed EVs presented an ‘opportunity’ for the UK to ‘regenerate’ its industry, but said that ‘in the ‘current climate it’s quite the opposite’.
He added: ‘We have no plan on how we’re going to create jobs as a result of this complete retooling of the car industry.
‘We’re letting politics get in the way of our kids’ future health. I don’t think that’s the role of any responsible government.
‘They are supposed to think in the long term, not use it as a political football for the next election, and that’s where we find the industry now.’
Although JLR’s parent company Tata Motors recently announced it would build a new battery gigafactory in Somerset, Palmer said the UK government ‘probably overpaid for it as we didn’t have a strategy’.
In response, a spokesperson for the government said: ‘Our plan to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is giving industry the certainty they need to invest in the UK, as demonstrated by Tata Group’s recent decision to invest £4bn into an electric car battery gigafactory here.
‘We continue to work with industry to unlock private investment in electric vehicle manufacturing in the UK, including through the Automotive Transformation Fund.’
The spokesperson added that the government ‘remains committed’ to its 2030 and 2035 dates to phase out internal combustion-engined models.
Since leaving Aston Martin, Palmer has taken on various roles and chair positions at start-up companies looking to progress the EV transition.
Most notably, he was announced in July as the boss of Pod Point, one of the UK’s largest public electric car charging providers.
Earlier this week, he was also named as chairman of Brill Power, a company that is using its battery technology to ‘expand EV battery lifetime by up to 60 per cent’.
It says this can help improve range, sustainability and reduce the cost of electric car ownership.
