The government has committed to an expansion of electric cars on UK roads by announcing a £400m investment to provide more roadside charging points and has put a further £100m in to the Plug-In Car Grant to help individuals purchase an electric vehicle
Chancellor Philip Hammond plans to create a £400m fund to boost the number of electric car chargers around the UK. The fund will go to charger companies to upgrade infrastructure after complaints that chargers are often slow or broken.
The government will invest £200m, to be matched by private investment, into a new Charging Investment Infrastructure Fund. The government has also committed to electrify 25% of cars in central government department fleets by 2022.
Cara Haffey, PwC automotive leader, said: ’There is no doubt that an upsurge in investment in electric vehicles and a more comprehensive charging network will have a bigger and more immediate impact on UK drivers and dealership sales than autonomous vehicles.
‘Our latest research reveals that electric and hybrid vehicles are likely to account for 58% of all new car sales in Europe, the USA and China by 2025, and today’s investment boost will go a long way towards securing the UK’s pledge to ban all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040.
‘This move to boost network points across the UK reflects a shift in focus by major fuel retailers such as Shell, which unveiled Shell Recharge last month at three UK forecourts, promising to charge most electric vehicles in around 30 minutes, and has also agreed to purchase NewMotion, one of Europe’s largest electric vehicle charging providers.
‘Those who underestimate the UK automotive industry’s ability to innovate and grasp these investment opportunities, do so at their peril.’
The government will also provide £100 million to guarantee continuation of the Plug-In Car Grant to 2020 to help individuals with the cost of purchasing a new battery electric vehicle.
Hammond also pledged for fully self-driving cars to be on UK roads by 2021. To do this the government will have to make changes to the regulatory framework, such as setting out how driverless cars can be tested without a human safety operator.
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) will also determine how future roadbuilding should adapt to support self-driving cars.
Report by Amy Austin
