UK's New Policy Says All New Buildings Must Have EV Chargers

The British government took a major step towards boosting the electrification of its transportation by mandating that starting next year new houses and buildings built in the country should have electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

The decision was echoed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Confederation of British Industry where he called upon the private sector to invest in the green industrial revolution, the biggest transformation of the global economy in 200 years. 

Back in 2018, the U.K. was looking to implement a similar policy to increase the adoption of electric vehicles in the country. Back then, the government had plans to cease the sale of fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2040. Since then, the government has pulled up the deadline for the sale of these vehicles by a decade and also invested heavily in setting up 250,000 electric chargers across the country. The new policy is expected to add 145,000 charging points to the country a year in the next decade. 

Apart from new constructions, the rule will also apply to large-scale renovations of establishments that have at least 10 parking spaces, the press release said. On its part, the government will make provisions that enable rapid and contactless payments at charging points, making electric charging as easy as refueling a conventional car. 

The government's push in this direction is also expected to bring in private sector investments of about £90 billion ($120.61 billion) apart from creating high-wage jobs in the U.K., the press release said. While the region is looking to switch to cleaner means of transport, not all automobile manufacturers are on board yet. Four of the largest car makers in the world, Toyota, Volkswagen, Renault-Nissan, and Hyundai-Kia did not sign a pledge at recently concluded COP26 to supply only zero-emission vehicles by 2035, BBC reported earlier this month. 

In its bid to further reduce emissions, the U.K. government is also investing about £10 million ($13.4 million) in a new green hydrogen project. When complete, the project will house U.K.'s largest electrolyzer - a device that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen and uses the former as a non-carbon emitting fuel that can be used for transportation.