Prime Minister Keir Starmer cannot embrace the UK's electric vehicle revolution as Jaguar Land Rover cannot guarantee the safety levels of an electric Range Rover.
British manufacturing giant Jaguar Land Rover stated that the Prime Minister's fleet of Range Rover Sentinels would need to remain petrol for the foreseeable future.
In a letter obtained by newsletter Fast Charge, JLR wrote to the Government in response to a consultation on the future of electric vehicle sales rules.
The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate outlines that manufacturers must have a minimum percentage of vehicle sales be electric every year, with the 2025 target set at 28 per cent, before rising to 100 per cent by 2035.
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Jaguar Land Rover maintains security concerns that the Prime Minister's Range Rover Sentinel could not be converted to electric
|GETTY/PA
JLR said armoured cars should be exempt from the national switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles through the ZEV mandate because of safety fears.
It stated that it "does not see any workable engineering solution to the challenges surrounding an armoured BEV [battery EV], primarily because the required safety levels and blast protection cannot be achieved".
Government departments and their "arm's length bodies" (ALBs) need to have 100 per cent of their car and van fleets be electric if they are exempt by 2027.
There are exemptions, including armoured vehicles, vehicles part of a salary sacrifice scheme and emergency vehicles fitted with blue warning beacons.
The Prime Minister uses a fleet of armoured Range Rover Sentinel vehicles
|JAGUAR LAND ROVER
Jaguar Land Rover describes the Range Rover Sentinel as a "luxury fortress on wheels" and created by the brand's Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) unit.
The Sentinel is built at its Oxford Road facility in Coventry, and has the latest security upgrades to keep VIPs safe in the event of an attack.
At its launch in 2015, Jaguar Land Rover was selling the high-security vehicle for around €400,000 or £347,544.
JLR stated: "This mobile fortress is designed to withstand the most damaging and targeted of threats including penetration by 7.62mm high velocity, armour piercing incendiary bullets.
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The Range Rover Sentinel is built to withstand TNT blasts and grenade explosions
|JAGUAR LAND ROVER
"This exceptional vehicle delivers lateral protection against up to 15kg Trinitrotoluene (TNT) blasts and defence against DM51 grenade explosions from both beneath the floor and above the roof."
In 2015, John Edwards, managing director of JLR's SVO division, said it was "one of the most extraordinary Range Rovers ever produced".
Tom Riley, author of the Fast Charge newsletter, said: "This is the first time I've come across 'blast anxiety' as an excuse not to switch.
"Clearly, it's a valid concern, but it does mean the Prime Minister could be the last Brit to go electric."
US Armor Group praised the Lucid Air Sapphire's impressive security enhancements
| US ARMOR GROUPOther manufacturers are already selling electric armoured vehicles, including the BMW i7 Protection, which is certified to withstand bullets, bombs and other explosives.
Similarly, an armoured Lucid Air Sapphire was unveiled in September last year, as defence technology company US Armor Group created an "indestructible machine".
Doors and body panels are fortified with a composite material 10 times stronger than ballistic steel, while drivers can opt for "electro-shock door handles", pepper spray dispensers and poison gas detection systems.
While it comes at a price tag of $475,000 (£354,411), Lucid and US Armor Group claim the modified version can travel at speeds of up to 200mph and retain 400 miles of electric range.