RAC reacts to government EV charging commitment for new buildings

Following an announcement made by the Government this morning, RAC director of EVs Sarah Winward-Kotecha said:

“Future-proofing new build houses by ensuring they include electric car charge points wherever feasible is a welcome move by the Government, and one that can give future homeowners the confidence they’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of a fully-charged car before they leave the house. Additional commitments to workplace charging will also benefit those who perhaps don’t have home charging facilities but park their vehicle for several hours a day at work.

“But as positive as today’s announcement clearly is, it’s important to remember that a lot of new housing stock – especially in cities – doesn’t even come with any car parking at all, let alone provision for electric charge points. It’s for this reason that the RAC continues to call for the installation of rapid charging hubs to also be a priority. By supplementing points already installed in places like forecourts and supermarkets with rapid chargers, drivers without off-road parking will have a realistic opportunity to go electric. In addition, it gives those needing to recharge on longer journeys greater flexibility to do so.

“It’s also important that all charge points – particularly at motorway services – are always working. Unfortunately, we’re increasingly being called out to use our EV Boost technology by drivers who have reached public charge points only to discover they are out-of-order.”