Developers of supermarkets and office blocks will also be required to install electric vehicle charging points, in a move that is expected to add 145,000 new charging points each year and is being seen as a major step in supporting the transition away from petrol and diesel cars.
“Mandating the installation of residential EV charging points is critical in the journey to net zero. With the ban on all new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles by 2030, our domestic infrastructure must change. Charging points at home are a necessity if the government wants the nation to make the transition to electric,” said Nico van der Merwe, VP Home & Distribution UK & Ireland, Schneider Electric.
The move forms part of the government’s push towards cleaner energy and its support for a ‘green industrial revolution’.
As part of the government’s bid to reach net zero by 2050, almost 26,000 publicly available electric vehicle charging devices have been installed, while there is a total of 250,000 points in homes and workplaces.
Critics, however, argue that the government should be doing more in driving the roll out of charging devices and ensuring that the UK has a truly national infrastructure, as too many areas have been left behind.