 are expensive, there aren't enough chargers, and the switchover could destroy one of the UK's biggest industries. There is pressure on both the Conservatives and Labour to review their climate commitments following the Tories' surprise win in the Uxbridge by-election - where the upcoming extension of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone was one of the big issues. But the government is currently sticking to its plan - supported by Labour - to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 . Sales of hybrid cars will be stopped from 2035. So, can we meet the target? Electric cars are selling fast, but are not without controversy. Justin Rowlatt, the BBC's climate editor, explores if the UK is on track to hit the government's targets to stop emitting greenhouse gases by 2050. Watch on BBC One at 20:00 BST on Tuesday 25 July, and afterwards on BBC iPlayer Let's start with the price, because EVs are still very expensive. The cheapest EV on sale in the UK with a decent range will set you back north of £30,000. That's significantly more than an equivalent petrol or diesel car. However, there are much cheaper electric cars in the pipeline. The talk of the Shanghai Motor Show in April wasn't some new sports car but a super-cheap new EV called the Seagull. Manufactured by BYD, the Chinese battery and car behemoth, the basic Seagull has a 190-mile range and a list price in China of 78,000 yen (£8,400). Image source, Magnum Photos Image caption, The BYD Seagull - a cheap new electric car built in China It will be a while before you can buy one,){kind=link}
The future is electric for the cars on our roads, but is the UK ready for such a major change?
At the risk of infuriating all you petrolheads out there, let’s just get it out there – electric cars are the future.
They are clean, quiet, fun to drive and help us tackle the biggest challenge of our era, climate change.
But there are some big bumps along the road to the UK’s electric destiny.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are expensive, there aren’t enough chargers, and the switchover could destroy one of the UK’s biggest industries.