Electric car charging points to be installed at every new home and office across England
New legislation, revealed by the Transport Minister, Rachel Maclean, will require the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging points on all new-build properties in England.
The law aims to increase the rate at which charge points are being installed so the Government can hit its 2030 target for banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.
The plan, billed as the first of its kind in the world, will also require all charge points to be capable of smart charging.
Last year the Government said it would inject £1.3 billion into scaling-up the rollout of charge points for EVs in homes, streets and motorways across the UK.
The Transport Minister said: “We will publish our consultation response on requiring all new residential and non-residential buildings to have a charge point and we intend to lay legislation later this year.
“We also confirmed our intention to mandate that home and workplace electric vehicle chargers must be capable of smart charging.”
About a third of households in Britain have no off-street parking, meaning charging points installed at workplaces or on the street will be increasingly important.
The UK’s EV charging point network will have to expand by up to 20 times current levels to cope with increased demand.
Government grants have been issued to private households of up to £350 to install a further 200,000 charging devices across the country.
Randolph Brazier, Director of Innovation and Electricity Systems at Energy Networks Association which represents the UK and Ireland’s energy networks businesses, said: “Being able to charge your electric vehicle at home or work will be a game changer in the shift to Net Zero transportation. To deliver the underlying infrastructure to support this ambition, electricity networks must be able to make early investments in infrastructure as well as use new and innovative smart grid technologies.”
Image: Shutterstock
