UK could soon mandate EV chargers for new-construction homes
Having a properly fleshed-out infrastructure increases the chances that folks will move to EVs in greater quantities.
Buying a new home means access to the latest and greatest home tech -- and in the UK, it could mean guaranteed access to an electric vehicle charger.
According to a new report from the UK government, it will soon mandate electric vehicle chargers on new-construction homes, Bloomberg reports. It's all part of the government's push to phase out gas- and diesel-powered vehicle sales by 2040 as the country and the world begin to embrace electric vehicles.
Obviously, mandating EV chargers on new homes would go a long way in fleshing out electric vehicle infrastructure. Currently seen as one of the major impediments to more widespread EV adoption, chargers and access to them are on the rise, but there's a long way to go before they're as ubiquitous as gas stations.
Thankfully, that's not all the UK government is doing to foster EV purchases. Bloomberg reports that the government will also require new streetlamps to have charging points, in addition to investing £40 million (about $53 million) on a pilot program that will investigate low-cost wireless EV chargers. Right now, most public parking spaces are nowhere near a charger, making it difficult for EV owners to find a place to park and juice up simultaneously.
Governments aren't the only entities trying to build up EV infrastructure before automakers start their product onslaughts. A number of European OEMs teamed up to form Ionity, which plans to introduce a pan-European network of EV chargers with up to 300 kW of charging power. In the US, Tesla has its well-known Supercharger network, but despite its cash flow issues it still refuses to license use of its network to vehicles from other automakers, leading others like Porsche to go their own way.
