New legislation will mean that operators of motorway service stations and large petrol stations will have to install electric vehicle charging points.
The Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill received its first reading in the House of Commons yesterday. When it comes into play it will give the government the power to make the installation of charging points for electric vehicles compulsory, while also enabling drivers of autonomous vehicles to be insured on UK roads.
The autonomous vehicle market will be worth £50 billion to the UK economy by 2035, according to a statement released by the Department for Transport yesterday.
Transport minister John Hayes said: “We want the UK to be the best place in the world to do business and a leading hub for modern transport technology, which is why we are introducing the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill and investing more than £1.2 billion in the industry.
“This bill will aid the construction of greater infrastructure to support the growing demand for automated and electric vehicles as we embrace this technology and move into the future.”
The new charge points will also have to be “smart”, so they can communicate with the national grid to manage electricity demand – one of the issues that has been raised against the growth of electric vehicles.
Roads minister Jesse Norman said: “Automated and electric vehicles will help improve air quality, cut congestion, boost safety and create thousands of skilled jobs in the UK.
“We have already supported the purchase of 115,000 ultra-low emission cars and there are already more than 11,500 publicly available charge points, but the demand continues to grow as more people purchase electric vehicles to cut fuel costs and boost the environment.”
James Dalton, director general of insurance policy at the Association of British Insurers, said: “Insurers wholeheartedly support the development of automated vehicles, as they have the potential to significantly reduce the large number of road accidents caused by driver error.
“We support the approach the government has taken in the bill, as this will give the industry time to prepare for the commercial rollout of fully automated driving technology.