The UK government has today launched its consultation on the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which provides headline target values for ZEV sales for each manufacturer in the UK, culminating in a 100% ZEV target by 2035. The targets have faced pushback from OEMs and their representatives in the UK in recent years for the rapid trajectory they set, though OEMs have succeeded in meeting its demands. The UK’s 2026 YTD EV penetration rate (including PHEVs) exceeds 33%, ahead of Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

Bryan Bille, Benchmark's lead policy and geopolitical analyst, attended Part II of the International Seabed Authority's (ISA) 31st session in Kingston, Jamaica, from 23–29 July. On 24 July, the ISA Council concluded two weeks of negotiations without adopting the International Mining Code, the framework required for commercial extraction from the seabed in international waters. Key issues, including environmental safeguards, liability, inspection, and benefit-sharing, remain unresolved. Experts expect negotiations to continue for at least another three to four years before an overall agreement can be reached.

The US government has signed nearly $2 billion in deals looking to strengthen the US’s supply chain security for critical minerals and technologies. The capital takes multiple forms from equity loans to direct investments. The largest is a $1.4 billion conditional loan to Sila Nanotechnologies, a US-based silicon anode company. The company currently operates a facility in Moses Lake, Washington with plans for a second phase of production towards the end of the decade. This latest round of funding builds on the plethora of investments the US has made in the battery and critical mineral space over the course of Donald Trump’s second presidency such as investing in MP Materials’ rare earths project and Ivanhoe Electric’s Santa Cruz copper project. “While the Trump Administration continues to invest in critical minerals, know-how, and strategic technologies to build a mine-to-magnet supply chain, these recent investment announcements also reflect the US ambition to build a next-generation mine-to-battery supply chain to reduce its dependence on China,” said Bryan Bille, Benchmark’s policy and geopolitics principal.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, specialising in EV and battery supply chain research and insights, reports that 1.85 million electric vehicles (EVs) were sold globally in July 2026, bringing year-to-date (YTD) 2026 EV sales to 11.5 million. In July 2026, EV sales increased by 9% year-on-year (y-o-y).