By Rod Walton, EnergyTech Senior Editor
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government are caling for a buildout of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure that is both high priority and required.
The team at 10 Downing Street announced new legislation which will mandate EV charging points in facilities such as supermarkets and workplaces. The planned new British building regulations also will extend to new homes and buildings.
“This is a pivotal moment - we cannot go on as we are,” Johnson was quoted in a speech at the CBI Conference, as quoted by the prime minister’s office website. “We have to adapt our economy to the green industrial revolution.”
The plan calls for up to 145,000 extra EV charging points installed across England each year through 2030. The United Kingdom plans to end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by that year.
“We have to use our massive investment in science and technology and we have to raise our productivity and then we have to get out your way,” Johnson told the CBI attendees.
This builds on the more than 250,000 home and workplace charge points the government has already supported to date.
A new forecast released by Arizton Advisory Intelligence predicted the global EV charging infrastructure market could to $14 billion annually by 2026.
The British prime minister also said that his nation will invest heavily in turning wind power into green hydrogen. The Net-Zero strategy, Johnson added, would trigger some £90 billion of private sector investment.