Supercharging EV revolution to help achieve ambitious goals (Authored by Mr. Kunal Sawhney, CEO, Kalkine Media)

In the ongoing process to revolutionise the large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the government of the United Kingdom has been continuously taking measures that are highly likely to expedite the transformation, supplementing the ultimate objective of achieving the definitive target of net zero by 2050.

While purchasing a new vehicle, people are increasingly shifting towards EVs as their choice for a primary vehicle due to wide-range of benefits including cost savings and higher efficiency. Such decisions are collectively helping the nation to reduce the carbon footprint, as far as the proportion of carbon emissions associated with passenger vehicles are concerned.

As the masses shift their focus to EVs, hybrid vehicles and other low-emission vehicles, the government has been keenly working to ease the owning experience for the consumers. This includes the capabilities of rechargeable batteries that can provide a hassle-free run on longer routes, availability of charge points across the country, semi-urbanised locaties and remote locations, and readily-accessible service stations in case of a breakdown.

The Downing Street administration approach to revolutionise the EV uptake has been exemplary among the leading economies as the government periodically rewards a number of innovative companies and enterprises that have managed to achieve state-of-the-art breakthroughs in the technologies supporting the production of EVs and key components.

In the upcoming years, hundreds of thousands of extra charge points are set to be inducted across the widespread geography of the UK. Higher the number of recharging stations productively decreases the dependability on a handful of charge points, ultimately resulting in large runs and increased adaptability of EVs in the forthcoming years.

The government is ready with new laws to supercharge the EV revolution under which world-leading regulations will be instituted for new homes and buildings in England.

From 2022 onwards, all the new homes, residential buildings, commercial setups, workplaces and supermarkets will be obligated to install EV charge points under the new legislation drafted by the government. Alongside this, the buildings undergoing major renovations will also be required to set up EV charge points.

The move is expected to increase the presence of charge points, while paving the way for fresh employment opportunities in the green energy sector with thousands of EV charge points easing the owning experience of an EV.

According to the initial estimates, as many as 145,000 extra charge points will be installed in England following the new mandate of setting up a charge point at aforementioned facilities. Having an adequate number of charge points has been one of the major challenges as countries gear up for the mass adoption of EVs.

The government of the UK has been gradually levelling up the charging infrastructure, alongside assisting the new-age technology enterprises that can help make new EVs more efficient and easy-to-own. This could be one of the biggest opportunities to level up the UK economy with the government and businesses collaborating on various initiatives to improve the comprehensive outcome.

This will further help in achieving the predefined short-term objectives of terminating the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 and hybrid by 2035. So far, the government has already supported 250,000 charge points in various localities including homes and workplaces.

Following the mass induction of charge points at new residential properties, the consumers would be able to select the best residential units that are equipped with a charge point as majority of charging happens at home. This can potentially alleviate the worries of visiting a refuelling station or taking the vehicle to an urbanised locality with an abundant number of charge points. People can also make sure of the availability of charge points in the nearby shopping complexes and workplaces before choosing the residential space and new employment opportunity.

All the properties that are undergoing major renovation and improvements with more than 10 parking spaces will be mandatorily required to install EV charge points, the decision that can provide a direction to the building owners looking forward to revamping the residential, as well as non-residential spaces in the upcoming years.

Along with bolstering the recharging infrastructure in the country, the government has also decided to simplify the payments at charge points to further encourage the people as they plan to buy their next vehicle. All the commercial charge points will be required to offer contactless payments for the users to make the process more efficient, while modernising the charge points.

With the collective approach of the government and a number of commercial setups to strengthen the charging infrastructure in the UK, the country can surely meet the upcoming objectives that can lead to the possibility of reaching a net zero status by 2050. The large-scale production of clean power and country-wide adoption of EVs, alongside the commitments by businesses to turn carbon neutral in the upcoming years are the most pivotal steps that can downsize the carbon emissions in the country.