Grayling aiming to power up electric car future

PLANS AIMED at making it easier to recharge electric vehicles than refuel petrol or diesel models will be announced by the Transport Secretary.

Chris Grayling will unveil proposals that could lead to the installation of hundreds of thousands more charge points for electric vehicles to encourage more people to adopt ultra-lowemission vehicles.

The initiatives included in the Government’s Road to Zero Strategy include more money to fund charging infrastructure and the need to assess whether new homes and offices should be required to install charge points as standard.

The strategy calls for new street-lighting columns on UK roads with on-street parking to have charging points in appropriate locations.

The Government is also expected to outline more details of its ban on sales of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040.

Alternatively fuelled vehicles such as hybrids and electrics held just 5.5 per cent of the UK’s new car market in the first six months of the year, up from 4.2 per cent in the same period in 2017.

Launching the Government’s plans to boost take-up of the technology, Mr Grayling will say: “The Road to Zero Strategy, combined with the measures we’ve already introduced, will mean Britain now has one of the most comprehensive support packages for zero-emission vehicles in the world.

“We want the UK to become the best country in the world in which to develop and manufacture zero-emission vehicles.

“The prize is not just a cleaner and healthier environment but a UK economy fit for the future and the chance to win a substantial slice of a market estimated to be worth up to £7.6tn by 2050.”

Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald said: “The Government must set an ambitious target to remove polluting vehicles from our roads, backed up by a detailed plan for achieving it and an industrial strategy to help Britain’s automotive sector become a leader in this emerging global industry.”