As EV sales, oil costs and temperatures spike, UK gov’t considers… fewer EVs?

The UK government is weighing whether to loosen its electric vehicle sales targets, even though EVs are outperforming expectations. The current rule requires 80% of new car sales to be electric by 2030, with a full ban on new gas and diesel car sales by 2035. That target already looked achievable: EV sales hit records in July, with battery-electric sales up 44.5% from a year earlier, and plug-in vehicles now make up nearly 40% of new UK car sales this year. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government is reportedly considering a consultation, possibly as soon as next week, that could cut the 2030 goal down to somewhere between 50% and 70%.

The timing is notable because of what's happening around it. A war affecting Iran has pushed UK gas prices to some of the highest in the world, with petrol averaging about £1.62 a liter and diesel spiking as high as £1.92. In response, UK households have been installing more solar panels, EV chargers, and heat pumps (electric systems that heat and cool homes more efficiently than furnaces or boilers). Meanwhile, the UK is having its hottest summer on record, with heat waves, wildfires, and drought covering much of England.

None of this changes anything for U.S. homeowners directly, since it's a UK policy matter. But it reflects a broader pattern: rising fuel costs and extreme weather are pushing more households toward electric vehicles, solar, and heat pumps as ways to cut costs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.