Britain is well placed to lead the way by banning new petrol vehicles
sir – I am astonished at the negative reception given to the Prime Minister’s announcement of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 (Letters, February 7).
Britain has always had the ability to lead the way and, freed from the shackles of the European Union and with a Conservative Party no longer riven by the European issue and enjoying a thumping parliamentary majority, I see no reason why this plan should not succeed.
Banning is not usually the preferred way of doing things, but we are in a crisis that needs to be tackled sooner rather than later. Tracy Campbell
South Croxton, Leicestershire
sir – The making of a new vehicle, however much better for the environment it may be, creates more pollution than an old, polluting car would ever make in its lifetime.
If the Government were really serious about the climate, it would ban the manufacture of all new vehicles of any kind, and ban the importing of new ones, too.
Encouraging the motor industry to retrofit older vehicles with cleaner motors is the way forward; not blasting holes in the ground and using vast 50-ton diesel vehicles to haul the result to belching foundries.
For once, make do and mend really could save the planet. Glenn Robinson
Norwich
sir – The Government should recognise that there is far less carbon in a carrot than a stick. Chris Crawshay
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
sir – While self-charging hybrids are not much use except for short, stopstart journeys, such as local taxi work, plug-in hybrids (PHEVS) can be almost as efficient as fully electric vehicles when used properly.
We owned a PHEV for almost four years and rarely visited a petrol garage, since at least 90 per cent of our journeys were shorter than the 25-mile battery range.
The problem has arisen because company-car drivers take advantage of the low benefit-in-kind rate and use the car inappropriately, driving long distances when it is less efficient than a conventional vehicle, and sometimes ignoring the battery altogether.
The answer is to reverse the current arrangement and make employees pay for petrol costs and companies subsidise electricity. This would help to ensure that hybrids are used in the way for which they were designed. Malcolm Benson
Beckenham, Kent
sir – Nick Martinek (Letters, February 7) ignores the efficiency advantage that electromotive systems have over internal combustion engines.
Taking this into account, we only need seven new Hinkley Point C power stations in the next 15 years, not 20. So that’s all right, then. Guy Lachlan
Caxton, Cambridgeshire