Big carmakers lobbied UK to weaken or delay electric car rules

Exclusive: Submissions seen from companies on both sides of zero-emission vehicle mandate

Several of the world's biggest carmakers lobbied the UK government to try to weaken or delay rules to accelerate electric car sales and cut Britain's carbon emissions.

Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Nissan were among the companies to ask for delays in enforcement of the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate that obliges them to sell increasing proportions of electric cars or face heavy fines, according to documents seen by the Guardian.