The UK has faced criticism over the slow rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, the iNews reports. Sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned in the UK by 2030, but unless the installation of charging points is significantly stepped up during the next few years, there are concerns that the UK won’t be able to meet demand.
A report based on a survey of 84 local authorities warned of a “lack of coherent strategic direction at a national level, including no articulation of the vision for the future and lack of clarity over the role authorities were expected to play in delivering EV charging infrastructure”.
About 8 million households in the UK lack access to off-street parking, meaning that they will not be able to take advantage of cheap overnight charging facilities. There are fears that this could create a society that is more socially and economically divided than ever.
However, there is some good news, as it was recently announced that infrastructure specialist Connected Kerb have secured a tender with West Sussex Council to rollout 10,000 on-street EV chargers across West Sussex and Kent. The Engineer reports that the £1.9bn scheme will be the UK’s largest ever deployment by a local authority.
75% of the cost is being met by the UK government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, while in some cases, Connected Kerb are meeting the other 25%. There have been concerns that the uneven nature of the rollout may end up exacerbating the north-south divide, and working against the government’s frequently proclaimed ‘levelling up’ agenda.
The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) has so far funded the installation of about 1,500 public charging devices, but this is a tiny fraction of the 480,000 which will be needed by 2030. Connected Kerb are expected to secure a contract to supply 30,000 more devices across the UK during next year.
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