All new homes must have car charging points from next year under government plans
New homes will be legally required to have electric vehicle (EV) charging points from next year, according to an announcement from Boris Johnson.
Under the plans, existing building regulations will be altered to require every new home, including flats and dwellings created from a change of use, to have EV charging point infrastructure.
This will mean that there will need to be “at least” one charging point per dwelling with “associated parking”.
In addition, residential buildings undergoing major renovation with more than 10 parking spaces will need to have at least one electric vehicle charge point for each dwelling with associated parking.
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And all new and existing non-residential buildings must also have EV charging points under the new laws.
The government has estimated that the new regulations, outlined in a delayed response to a Department for Transport (DfT) consultation, will mean that an extra 145,000 charging points are installed in England each year as part of its wider plan to cut carbon emissions.
The regulations will be laid in parliament before the end of this year, followed by an “adjustment period” for those affected of “no less” than six months. After this point regulations will become law, the government said.
During the consultation, the DfT said it sought views from key stakeholders including property developers and housing associations.
The move will happen in the run-up to the government’s ban on the sale of diesel vehicles, due to take effect in 2030.
Around 250,000 EV charging points have so far been installed in homes and workplaces, according to the government. And the UK has around 26,000 public charge points, according to the DfT.
Speaking at the CBI’s Annual Conference, Boris Johnson said: “We are regulating so as to require new homes and buildings to have EV charging points with another 145,000 charging points to be installed thanks to these regulations.”
In a speech that has attracted widespread media attention, the prime minister said that the “tipping point” has come on EVs and that sales in the UK are now increasing at 70% per year.
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