Grant Shapps told The Sun the next few years would be a “transition period” but insisted: “I’m pretty confident we’ll get there.”
Cars are one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions in the transport sector – but millions of Brits are put off switching to electric cars thanks to the huge price tags.
Britain will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, and of hybrids from 2035 in a bid to go green.
Tesla-owner Mr Shapps insisted that the Government “has to weigh up these difficult decisions” between going green and stopping families being whacked by higher costs.
He added: “I want to make sure that we get there in a way which is not putting people under the cosh, but it’s helpful to people.”
Defending the imminent ban, he said of leccie cars: “They’re quick, they’re that clean, but we’ve got to see the second hand market develop we’ve got to see the prices converge.”
But when pushed on if he was sticking to the planned date, he insisted: “yes”.
He also said that hydrogen was unlikely to be the magic answer to helping heat people’s homes in a clean way – and it wasn’t possible to simply replace it like for like.
It means that most homes will probably need heat pumps instead.
No10 insisted it was “too early to make predictions on the mix by which people will heat their homes… it’s right we consider all options”.
Meanwhile, Mr Shapps insisted to reporters that the Tories could still win the next election, saying: “it’s just not over in the way that some people seem to imagine.”
Insisting that scrutiny on Labour would only ramp up as it got closer to the next poll, which is set to take place before January 2025, he said: “we shouldn’t take the public for granted and that there is everything to play for folks.
“I’m not saying that Conservatives will win the next election, I’m saying Conservatives can win the next election.”
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