England to be the first country to require new homes to include EV chargers

The British government has announced to introduce a new legislation in 2021, under which all new home construction will be required to feature electric vehicle charging installations. The newly constructed offices will also have to provide charging infrastructure for every 5 parking spaces as they are also part of the plan. Precisely, all new homes and offices will have to feature "smart" charging devices so that they can automatically charge vehicles during off-peak periods.

As the mandate on the ban of new fossil-fuel vehicles in the UK is going to start from 2030, thereby this proposal is part of the movement to rapidly increase the number of chargers across England. The UK government had set forth a proposal to mandate all new homes with a charge point and a parking space back in 2019.

Besides constructing newly EV charger based homes and offices in England, the UK government on World EV day (9 September 2021) announced a free app called “EV8 Switch” to encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles. The app comes up with the following features:

“It calculates how much money UK drivers could save by switching to an EV compared to their current petrol or diesel vehicles, along with details on the carbon dioxide (CO2) savings and air quality improvements they could achieve.

Drivers can also see which electric vehicles would be the most suitable for them based on their current vehicle and how switching to electric could fit in with their current lifestyle. Those with the app can also see how close their nearest charge points are, and which journeys can be completed without the need to top up en route.”

After implementing the new law, England will be the first country in the world to require all new homes to have EV chargers. This will be a boost for those who transition from ICE cars to beat range anxiety as many homes in England do not have off-street parking or garages.