Manchester United’s new owner Jim Ratcliffe has used his higher profile to call on the government to scrap the ban on petrol car sales from 2035, adding demand for electric vehicles has disappeared.
Writing in the Telegraph, the billionaire owner of petrochemicals firm Ineos said the deadline should be pushed back as an interim step towards cleaner technologies with hybrids allowed as a transitional move.
Britian’s net zero commitments have come for increasing criticism in recent weeks, with Vauxhall’s boss calling them a disaster while Ford warned it might cut supplies of petrol-powered cars just to avoid being fined under the new rules.
Ineos Automotive, the business's car-making arm, is said to be developing a hybrid electric model and has held meetings with the Government about the issue.
Ratcliffe [pictured] said current plans to make carmakers go all-electric by 2035 are “barmy”.
“Electric is fine and dandy for the short local journey, but should you decide to head off for the hills, forget it.”