Plans By The UK Government To Ensure The Use Of Electric Vehicles
On November 17th, 2020, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson released his ten-point plan for the “green industrial revolution” which promises to bring 250,000 British jobs. One of the points listed out in the ten-point plan is to completely move to the use of electric vehicles by 2030.
The ten-point plan is a move by the United Kingdom to battle the ever-pervasive issue of climate change and also to create more jobs.
The fourth point in the said ten-point plan promises to phase out sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. This is to hasten the change to electric vehicles. The plan also promises to invest in grants to help buy these cars and EV charging infrastructure.
Aside from the bold moves made by the UK government to ensure that everyone possesses electric vehicles, corporate bodies are also playing their part to ensure this possibility. Several companies now create EV leasing deals to enable the demand and ownership for electric vehicles.
EV Chargers
According to the announcement of Boris Johnson, from 2022 new homes and buildings in England will be required by law to install car EV chargers. This will increase the number of EV chargers, and allow for easy access to EV charging points.
The Competition and Markets Authority projects that the UK will need 10 times the current number of EV charging points by 2030 for a successful transition. Yet, Britain’s opposition Labour Party has reacted to the announcement of Boris Johnson.
The Labour Party pointed out the geographical divide that the compulsory installation of EV charging points will create. Leading to parts of the country being filled with charging points, while others suffer from a shortage or lack of EV charging points. Notwithstanding the lack of provision for low and middle-income families to afford electric vehicles as electric car charging prices are high.
Ross Easton, the director of external affairs at Energy Networks Association has advised that to truly level up charging point access, strategic planning at all levels of government is required.
Electric Car Charging Prices
Electric cars should cost less to charge in a year compared to filling with fuel or diesel. This lesser cost is enjoyed by persons with electric car chargers installed in their homes or offices. It takes an average of one hour to charge an electric car for effective use. Free charging points at certain public places with restrictions like limited time of charging pose a challenge to EV owners.
With an increase in the ownership of electric cars, charging price mechanisms have been put in place. Corporate owners of EV charging points and the government created this mechanism to regulate EV charging prices. Some companies owning charging point networks have created a subscription system to ease charging for their subscribers.
Mostly the charging price of electric cars is dependent on the length of charging and the brand of the cars. Some of the most energy-effective ones are the Hyundai Ioniq (2016) and Seat Mii (2020).
Benefits Of EV and Challenges To Its Use
Electric vehicles are gradually becoming popular for reasons such as the use of gas is not required. EVs are more convenient to use and they are eco-friendly. Compared to fuel-powered cars, EVs are easier to maintain and reasonably cost-effective. They are also quieter, thereby aiding reduced noise pollution.
Conclusion
Despite the benefits that come with owning an EV, a lot of people are reluctant to accept it. Change is a difficult thing to make. Buyers also have limited choices when acquiring an EV, as it costs much to install EV chargers. These have posed great challenges to the use of electric vehicles.
