All Electric by 2035- Justice Analysis
The UK has set a legally binding target that 100% of new vehicles will be zero emission electric vehicles by 2030 (GOVUK, 2024). Transport is an important sector to address in the transition to net zero, which is evidenced by emissions from transport contributing to 16% of global carbon emissions in 2019 (Nieto et al., 2024). In the UK specifically, 26% of the total carbon emissions resulted from the transport sector in 2021, with cars contributing to 52% of domestic transport emissions (GOVUK, 2023).
This policy can be analysed through the lens of distributional justice (Walker and Day, 2012) due to low-income households having a reduced access to electric vehicles and potentially exhaust vehicles as the market changes due to unequal income distribution (Castle and Hendry, 2024). Distributive justice can be defined as advocating for equal distributions, or even unequal distributions that favour those of a disadvantaged group (Rawls, 1971). Alternatively, a definition of distributional justice can be argued as the ability to achieve valued functioning’s (Sen, 2009). These definitions can be utilised in conjunction for this case study, as they can provide the aim for future schemes that prioritise low-income areas and the rationale behind this. For the aim, applying Rawls’ (1971) definition suggests that the ideal outcome for an equitable future of electric private vehicles would be their accessibility becoming universal in the UK. For the rationale behind this, utilising Sen’s (2009) understanding, the valued functioning’s for low-income households to own an electric vehicle would be to avoid the health risks from increased exposure to air pollution, alongside benefitting from the decreased motor costs (Namdeo and Stringer, 2008 and Lucas and Martens, 2019).
Income inequity in the transport sector can result in ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ for accessible travel (Lucas and Martens, 2019 and Boeing et al., 2023). The electrification of private vehicles can be considered as the most efficient strategy for decarbonising road transport due to its potential for energy and cost efficiency (Heinz, 2022). However, even as electric vehicles reach cost parity with conventional exhaust vehicles, low-income households are likely to remain unable to afford them and therefore lose the benefits of the decreased motoring costs from electric travel (Lucas and Martens, 2019). This is due to cost parity being reached at the higher end of conventional vehicles pricing, with the average electric vehicle in the UK costing £50,000 in 2023 (Castle and Hendry, 2024). Furthermore, it is uncertain how the market for cheaper, second-hand vehicles in the UK will develop as new exhaust vehicles are no longer made, which will be influential over the accessibility of private vehicles for low-income households (Mullen and Marsden, 2016). Alongside the issue of cost, low-income households often live in areas that are exposed to heightened particulate pollution from transportation that can lead to serious health problems (Mitchell, 2005). Therefore, equity in policy for low-income households and electric vehicles may refer primarily to cost, but the over-arching impact from the transition to sustainable private transportation could prevent health issues being disproportionately linked to low-income areas (Namdeo and Stringer, 2008).
For the future of a transition to zero emission private transportation, there are several factors to consider in policymaking to address distributional income injustice. These include ensuring schemes that align with the goal of electrification by 2035 address income inequity and offer a subsidised approach to low-income households (Breetz and Salon, 2018). Subsequently, it will be vital to ensure there are sufficient charging points in low-income areas to maintain accessibility once ownership of an electric vehicle is achievable (Castle and Hendry, 2024).
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