UK joins Europe’s growing ‘greenlash’ with new pro-motorist policies

Published

2 years ago

October 9, 2023

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A protestor holds a placards during the ULEZ Protest. Protesters against Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion brought traffic to a standstill as they demonstrated against the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Moves by the U.K. government to introduce a series of pro-motorist policies brings Britain into the fold of countries succumbing to a political backlash against Europe’s green agenda.

A so-called “greenlash” has been growing across Europe as the cost of implementing ambitious environmental policies has faced resistance from citizens, prompting some governments to water down their targets.

Britain’s Transport Minister Mark Harper last week announced new concessions for motorists, a move he said would protect drivers from “over-zealous traffic enforcement.”

The measures include limits on councils’ ability to impose speed limits, restrictions on the number of hours a day that car traffic is banned from bus lanes, and a new national system to simplify parking payments.

The decision comes as the ruling Conservative Party seeks to shore up support from voters — many of whom live in rural areas and feel unfairly penalized by green transport policies — ahead of next year’s General Election.

“The Conservative Party is proudly pro-car,” Harper said as the Conservative Party Conference got underway in Manchester, England. “We stand for freedom to travel how you want.”

Seizing on ‘sinister’ green policies

In his speech, Harper called out as “sinister” the idea of 15-minute cities: an urban planning concept where all amenities are accessible within a 15-minute walk or cycle.

Despite being praised for its green credentials and focus on accessibility, the idea was seized upon during the Covid-19 lockdowns by conspiracy theorists who claimed it was part of a plot by governments to control their populations.

“I’m calling time on the misuse of so-called 15-minute cities,” Harper said, noting that local councils should not be able to ration road use, providing no evidence that they currently do so — or, indeed, that they could.

Net zero isn’t something that can be done to people by a political elite.

Claire Coutinho

U.K. Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero

The comments follow an earlier watering down of the U.K.’s green agenda by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Last month, Sunak delayed a ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars, saying that the move would ease the financial burden on households.

Then, on Wednesday, Sunak announced the cancellation of a section of the U.K.’s long-awaited HS2 high-speed rail network, a public transport infrastructure project intended to better connect major cities with the capital. Instead, he said, the funds would be spent on local transport projects, including greater investment in road networks.

The decision was unveiled under Sunak’s election campaign slogan “Long-term decisions for a brighter future” as he sought to reassert his leadership among more radical Tory factions.

Growing European ‘greenlash’

The moves come amid the rising politicization of green policies across Europe and beyond as citizens struggle with a cost-of-living crisis.

Germany last month passed a watered-down version of a contentious heating law, delaying the phaseout of gas boilers by several years.

In the Netherlands, frustration at plans to cut nitrogen pollution led to a shock poll win for a new farmers’ protest party.

Meantime, the governments of France and Belgium have both called for a pause on the European Union’s green legislative agenda.

In London, a recent decision by Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan to expand the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to all boroughs was met by backlash from those who protest the higher fees involved.

Britain’s recently appointed Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho, reiterated the government’s position last week, saying that the public shouldn’t be forced to go green.

“Net zero isn’t something that can be done to people by a political elite,” she said, accusing the opposition Labour Party — currently ahead in the polls — of strong-arming the public into making greener choices.

“They want to force people to behave in a certain way,” she said. “Their plans are toxic and would collapse popular support for net zero.”

Environment

Troubling times for Tesla, Nissan, and Dodge – plus some fun yellow stuff!

Published

5 hours ago

July 2, 2025

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Troubling times for Tesla, Nissan, and Dodge – plus some fun yellow stuff!

Tesla’s Q2 results are in, and they are way, way down from Q2 of 2024. At the same time, Nissan seems to be in serious trouble and the first-ever all-electric Dodge muscle car is getting recalled because its dumb engine noises are the wrong kind of dumb engine noises. All this and more on today’s deeply troubled episode of Quick Charge!

We’ve also got an awesome article from Micah Toll about a hitherto unexplored genre of electric lawn equipment, a $440 million mining equipment deal, and a list of incompetent, corrupt, and stupid politicians who voted away their constituents’ futures to line their pockets.

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Environment

OpenAI says Robinhood’s tokens aren’t equity in the company

Published

6 hours ago

July 2, 2025

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OpenAI says Robinhood's tokens aren't equity in the company

Jaque Silva | Nurphoto | Getty Images

OpenAI is distancing itself from Robinhood‘s latest crypto push after the trading platform began offering tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX to users in Europe.

“These ‘OpenAI tokens’ are not OpenAI equity,” OpenAI wrote on X. “We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it.”

The company said that “any transfer of OpenAI equity requires our approval — we did not approve any transfer,” and warned users to “please be careful.”

Robinhood announced the launch Monday from Cannes, France, as part of a broader product showcase focused on tokenized equities, staking, and a new blockchain infrastructure play. The company’s stock surged above $100 to hit a new all-time high following the news.

“These tokens give retail investors indirect exposure to private markets, opening up access, and are enabled by Robinhood’s ownership stake in a special purpose vehicle,” a Robinhood spokesperson said in response to the OpenAI post.

BYD launches new discounts, offering +50% off smart driving tech

Published

10 hours ago

July 2, 2025

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BYD launches new discounts, offering +50% off smart driving tech

Despite the warnings, BYD continues introducing new discounts. On Wednesday, BYD’s luxury off-road brand began offering over 50% Huawei’s smart driving tech.

BYD introduces new discounts on smart driving tech

After BYD cut prices again in May, the China Automobile Manufacturers Association (CAMA) warned that the ultra-low prices are “triggering a new round of price war panic.”

Although they didn’t single out BYD, it was pretty obvious. BYD slashed prices across 22 of its vehicles by up to 34%, triggering several automakers to follow suit in China.

BYD’s cheapest EV, the Seagull, typically starts at about $10,000 (66,800 yuan). After the price cuts, the Seagull is listed at under $8,000 (55,800 yuan).

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It doesn’t look like China’s EV leader plans to slow down anytime soon. Fang Cheng Bao, BYD’s luxury off-road brand, introduced new discounts on Huawei’s smart driving tech on Wednesday.

The limited-time offer cuts the price of Huawei’s Qiankun Intelligent Driving High-end Function Package to just 12,000 yuan ($1,700).

Buyers who order the smart driving tech in July will save over 50% compared to its typical price of 32,000 yuan ($4,500).

Earlier this year, Fang Chang Bao launched the Tai 3, its most affordable vehicle, starting at 139,800 yuan ($19,300). The Tai 3 is about the size of the Tesla Model Y, but costs about half as much.

BYD-Tai-3-electric-SUV — BYD Fang Cheng Bao Tai 3 electric SUV (Source: Fang Cheng Bao)

The Tai 3 will spearhead a new sub-brand of electric SUVs following the more premium Bao 8 and Bao 5 hybrid SUVs.

BYD’s luxury off-road brand sold 18,903 vehicles last month, up 50% from May and 605% compared to last year. Fang Cheng Bao has now sold over 10,000 vehicles for three consecutive months.

The Chinese EV giant sold 382,585 vehicles in total in June, an increase of 12% from last year. In the first half of the year, BYD’s cumulative sales reached over 2.1 million, a YOY increase of 33%.

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