Is the motoring industry up for the challenge of electric cars?

The deadlines are set, the clock is ticking — but can motoring manufacturers keep apace with the growing calls to phase out petrol and diesel models completely and convert wholly to electric and hybrid vehicles?

The British and French governments recently ramped up the pressure on the industry by setting a deadline of 2040 to end the sale of all conventional petrol and diesel cars.

The Irish government’s National Climate Plan published last month was even more ambitious, pledging that by 2030, all cars and vans sold in Ireland would be zero emission.