Shropshire Star

EV charge points to be compulsory at motorway service stations

Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill to give government power to enforce charge point installation at motorway service stations

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Operators of motorway service stations and large petrol retailers will have to install electric vehicle charge points under new legislation.

The Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill, which received its first reading in the House of Commons yesterday, gives the government powers to make the installation of electric vehicle charge points compulsory, and enable drivers of automated cars to be insured on UK roads.

According to a statement from the Department for Transport, the automated vehicle market will be worth £50bn to the UK economy by 2035.

Transport minister John Hayes said: “We want the UK to be the best place in the world to do business and a leading hub for modern transport technology, which is why we are introducing the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill and investing more than £1.2 billion in the industry.

“This bill will aid the construction of greater infrastructure to support the growing demand for automated and electric vehicles as we embrace this technology and move into the future.”

Under the bill, all charge points that are installed will have to be “smart”, which means they will communicate with the national grid to manage electricity demand.

Roads minister Jesse Norman said: “Automated and electric vehicles will help improve air quality, cut congestion, boost safety and create thousands of skilled jobs in the UK.

“We have already supported the purchase of 115,000 ultra-low emission cars and there are already more than 11,500 publicly available chargepoints, but the demand continues to grow as more people purchase electric vehicles to cut fuel costs and boost the environment.”

James Dalton, director general of insurance policy at the Association of British Insurers, said: “Insurers wholeheartedly support the development of automated vehicles, as they have the potential to significantly reduce the large number of road accidents caused by driver error.

“We support the approach the government has taken in the bill, as this will give the industry time to prepare for the commercial rollout of fully automated driving technology.

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