“I am concerned about the media coverage relating to the recently published Decarbonisation of Road Transport report,” Moers said in an emailed statement.
He said he was not aware of the contents before it was published and that Aston Martin is “fully committed to the development of both hybrid and battery electric vehicles.”
Michael Liebreich, a clean-energy and climate adviser and founder of the consultancy now known as BloombergNEF, which Bloomberg LP acquired in 2009, wrote in a blog post that Hoekstra had “comprehensively debunked” the carmakers’ report.
“Myths and misinformation” about EVs “slow down attempts to address climate change, they cause public money to be wasted and they destroy good investments,” Liebreich said.
The incident reflects the strain automakers are under to meet government mandates that fundamentally reshape their industry.
The U.K. and state of California have set targets to phase out combustion engines entirely by 2035, while China is drawing up plans for the majority of vehicles sold in the world’s biggest market to be electric by then.
“The momentum for EVs is being powered by governments and manufacturers investing billions in batteries, vehicles and associated infrastructure,” said David Watson, CEO of EV-charging company Ohme Technologies. “That’s a juggernaut that won’t be stopped by the odd piece of misinformation, especially when the claims as so easily disprovable.”
Aston Martin contributed to the report with the intention of exploring the best approach to achieving the U.K. government’s goals to reduce road-transport emissions, a spokeswoman said earlier in an email. Other companies listed on the report include Honda and McLaren Automotive.
Honda said it supports a multi-pathway approach to decarbonization. McLaren contributed information pertaining to its expertise with regard to reducing vehicle weight.
To meet stricter emissions standards for passenger cars in Europe this year, Honda has joined Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in pooling its fleet with Tesla ’s EV lineup. While McLaren plans to start rolling out gas-electric models next year, the company has said it will not launch a full-electric car until the second half of this decade.
Boris Johnson’s gasoline and diesel car ban poses a serious threat to Aston Martin. The Gaydon, England-based company put off the launch of an all-electric Lagonda marque by three years, to 2025, and paused work on its first battery-powered model, called Rapid E, in January.
It announced a deal with Daimler in October to access the Mercedes-Benz maker’s electric and hybrid powertrains through 2027.
