New homes and supermarkets required to have electric car charging points from 2022

Any new homes built in England will be required to have electric vehicle charging points from next year, in a major bid increase the move away from petrol cars.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new legislation on Monday in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference.

He said that not only will new homes, supermarkets, and workplaces have to have the charging points installed but those undergoing major renovations will be forced to make the upgrades too.

The government has already announced that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end in the UK in 2030, and it is hoped the new laws will mean up to 145,000 new charging points will be made available every year.

More and more electric cars are being seen on British roads, with a total of 108,20 sold in 2020, representing a 185% increase compared to 2019.

Mr Johnson said: “We will require new homes and buildings to have EV charging points – with another 145,000 charging points to be installed thanks to these regulations.

“We are investing in new projects to turn wind power into hydrogen and our net-zero strategy is expected to trigger about £90 billion of private sector investment, driving the creation of high wage high skilled jobs as part of our mission to unite and level up across the country.”

One of the main reasons people have so far hesitated to buy an electric car is fear of not being able to access a charging point when needed.

It costs around £800 to install a charging point at home, but local authorities across the country have offered grants to their residents to lower the costs.

More and more electric vehicles are also being offered as company cars, with the business usually covering the cost of installing the charging point.

A report from Policy Exchange says that the UK will need 400,000 public charge points by 2030, currently there are only 35,000. It also says small towns and rural areas must be provided for to avoid "charging blackspots".

At the end of last year, the Government pledged £1.3 billion to accelerate the rollout of charge points and hopes to make charging an electric car "easier" than refuelling a petrol or diesel vehicle.

Downing Street branded the new policy as "world-leading" and the hope is that charging an electric vehicle will become as easy as filling up with fuel.

As well as new homes and non-residential buildings, those that carry out large scale renovations, and therefore have more than 10 parking spaces, will also need to install charging points.

Mr Johnson told the CBI conference the UK can gain advantages from acting first to transform the global economy and transition to net zero.