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Plans In England To Install Car Chargers In All Commercial Parking Lots Have Been Quietly Scrapped
The United Kingdom government has quietly backtracked on plans to require every shop, office, or factory in England to install at least one electric car charger if they have a large parking lot. This decision has prompted environmentalists to express their displeasure.
The original plan called for a charger to be installed in every new and existing non-residential building with parking for 20 cars or more.
However, in response to a consultation, the Department of Transport (DfT) has revealed that it will only require chargers to be installed in new or refurbished commercial premises due to concerns about the cost to businesses.
The move has sparked concern in the automotive industry and among experts that public charger access will lag behind demand as sales of electric vehicles accelerate ahead of the 2035 ban on new fossil-fuelled internal combustion engines.
According to one-quarter of new cars purchased in the United Kingdom in November, they can be plugged in to recharge.
“Car parks are an ideal place for drivers of electric cars without driveways to charge,” said Greg Archer, UK director of the campaign group Transport & Environment. The government has squandered a simple opportunity to level the playing field for less affluent drivers who park overnight on the road by failing to require commercial buildings with car parks to install a small number of charge points.
“It is inexplicable that a government committed to phasing out conventional cars has failed to follow through on its own proposals from more than two years ago, instead claiming that it needs more time to consider the options.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last month that a charging point would be required for every new or refurbished residential building beginning next year, calling the regulations “world-leading.”
However, by dropping the requirement for existing non-residential buildings, the UK risks falling behind the EU, which is implementing a rule requiring existing buildings to install cable routes for chargers after 2025.
The government could still impose more stringent requirements for existing parking lots, such as requiring a certain number of chargers per parking space. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles is reviewing responses to a separate consultation on the future of transportation regulations that ended last month.
