England will require all new buildings to have electric chargers

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If Forza Horizon 4 taught me anything, the UK is made up of the city of Edinburgh, some ponds, and a thousand homes that look just like this Image: Miles Willis (Getty Images)

England, the most confusing cartographic country in the world, has made great strides towards the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. They’ve set a date to ban gas-powered cars, launched an app that shows drivers how much they can save by using electricity, and are working with energy companies to find out how people can pay on the cheap. Their efforts have paid off, as both businessmen and individuals have been quick to switch to electric mobility. For its next trick, the British government decided to address the availability of charging – by authorizing charging stations for all newly constructed buildings.

Homes, supermarkets and “places of business” are all mentioned by name in the statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office today. The release also specified the number of new charging points that would come from the new legislation:

New homes and buildings such as supermarkets and workplaces, as well as those undergoing major renovation work, will have to install charging points for electric vehicles from next year, under the new legislation announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson today (Monday, November 22).

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Up to 145,000 additional charging points will be installed across England each year thanks to these regulations, in the lead-up to 2030 when new petrol and diesel cars will end up on sale in the UK. This is based on more than 250,000 home and workplace charging points that the government has already supported so far.

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In addition to new homes and non-residential buildings, those undergoing extensive renovations leaving them with more than 10 parking spaces will be required to install electric vehicle charging points.

While the wording of the release appears to suggest the option of a cyberpunk dystopia where British citizens need to pay EV fees to charging point companies for power, even in their homes, charging new chargers is a great way to solve the chicken-and-egg problem of electric vehicle infrastructure. This estimate of 145,000 new chargers per year is higher than the total number of plugs in the US – all in a much smaller area.

Hey, Congress, would anyone like to throw this into their current infrastructure bill? I know you are still reviewing the finer details in it. Just put it among all the tax breaks, and no one will notice.

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