The UK plans to bring forward a ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2040 to 2035. The ban will also include hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce the revised ban at the launch of the UN climate conference COP26.
He will be joined by Sir David Attenborough at the central London event.
In a statement, the government suggested the 2035 ban could even be accelerated further, “if a faster transition is feasible”.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “This government’s £1.5bn strategy to make owning an electric vehicle as easy as possible is working – last year alone, a fully electric car was sold every 15 minutes.
We want to go further than ever before. That’s why we are bringing forward our already ambitious target to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to tackle climate change and reduce emissions.”
Boris Johnson said: “There can be no greater responsibility than protecting our planet, and no mission that a Global Britain is prouder to serve.
“2020 must be the year we turn the tide on global warming – it will be the year when we choose a cleaner, greener future for all.”
Plug-in hybrids combine an electric drivetrain with a regular petrol or diesel engine, for a limited range of zero-emissions driving.
When the batteries run flat, the traditional petrol or diesel engine takes over.
Some PHEV owners are criticised for never plugging in their cars – with research finding traditional hybrids (which some call ‘self-charging hybrids‘) outperforming PHEVs in real-world driving.
