The future is electric. This is something which gets clearer and clearer in the automotive industry. From subsidies to the large-scale adoption of urban charging stations, there is no question that everyone from governments all the way down to drivers are viewing electric vehicles as the next step.
This fact has been further confirmed in the UK in a new law which states that, starting 2022, every new home and building in England will be required to install electric vehicle charging points.
While electric-vehicle sceptics may initially think this is a step too far, the law promises to supercharge the creation of charging points. With estimates suggesting the regulation will create up to 145,000 new charging points each year—and that’s a number which doesn’t even factor in all the local, private and personal installations which will also continue to boom.
As a result, electric vehicles will continue to become more and more viable with the wealth of charging points tackling the largest perceived drawback of electric vehicles; limited mileage and charge times.
This doubling-down on the infrastructure required for the mass-scale adoption of electrics will come as no surprise. After all, the UK aims to entirely switch to electric vehicles in the near future, banning the sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030. However, after 2030, you will still be able to buy and sell used petrol/diesel cars under the current regulation.
While we can all agree that taking steps towards a more sustainable, climate-friendly future is both good and necessary, going all-electric is triggering debates regarding inequalities in two key ways.
On the one hand, there are geographic divides. We already know that the largest proportion of charging points are focused in major cities and other urban areas, resulting in uneven distribution of power. And with 32% of the country’s charging points calling Greater London home, it’s clear that we are a long way from an even distribution across the country’s population.
On the other hand, it’s easy to see fiscal divides. With newly built houses having infrastructure built-in by default, many think the government could be doing more for current homeowners. Especially since newbuilds tend to be snapped up by those who are already more affluent. This leads to suggestions of public charging points or a bolstering of the government’s existing vehicle charger installation support schemes.
Thus, while we can all appreciate the turn to electric as necessary, we also need to fully realise the need for even and fair distribution of charging stations. To ensure that no one in the UK gets left behind during the big switch.
With this regulation coming into force in mere months, if you are looking to make the leap to electric take a look at our catalogue of used electric cars for sale. Buying high-quality used vehicles can help us all be ready for the electric future without breaking the bank.
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