Potential plans to phase out petrol motorcycles in the same way as cars to meet emnissions ‘net zero’ targets have been highlighted. In a written question to the Department for Transport in the House of Lords the issue as to if the old-style combustion engines will be banned came up.
Under currently Government plans no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold after 2030. All new cars and vans will need to be 100% zero emission by 2035.
However a new consultation has started over how the change will be implemented and there is speculation over whether the plan will be implemented from that date.
The end date for petrol-powered two-wheelers has been in limbo since September 2023, when the Conservative government announced it was pushing the car ban back from 2030 to 2035, but with no decision on motorcycles. For the moment, that remains as 2030 for mopeds and A1 motorcycles, and 2035 for bigger bikes.
In the new question Lord Truscott asked the government: “What plans they have, if any, to phase out the sale of new petrol motorcycles, in line with plans to phase-out the sale of new petrol cars from 2030.”
Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, a Labour peer replied for the government: “All modes and vehicle types have a part to play in meeting net zero, including motorcycles. The Government will set out any plans to decarbonise motorcycles in due course. To encourage uptake of zero emission motorbikes, the Government has a plug-in motorcycle grant which is available until at least March 2025 and offers up to £500 off the cost of a zero-emission motorcycle.”
Tony Campbell Chief Executive of the Motorcycle Industry Association has previously said: “We are not saying that we can’t improve where we are. We’re not saying that we don’t want any of this and it needs to go away, what we’re saying is we need an open mindedness to technology.
“And we need time to allow other industries to develop, the investment to go into other sectors. That’s then going to provide options to us as a sector because we’re not big enough to drive that innovation and that change so we need the automotive world to move forward very quickly.”
Motorcycles are thought to account for only 0.4% of the total UK domestic transport emissions.