Recently, I read a report on the autoexpress website, which claims England will be the first country in the world to start making it mandatory to install electric car charging points on all new-build homes.
This is part of a government initiative which it sees as a solution to improve the infrastructure necessary for the planned mass-adoption of electric motor vehicles in England.
If the proposed changes to building regulations go through, it would mean homebuilders will be forced to install charge points so potential owners can charge their plug-in hybrids and electric cars at home.
There are still questions to how new-build houses without off-street parking could be fitted with charge points, but maybe there is a connection to the Government investing nearly 40 million pounds into research projects that included wireless charge points, and charge points that rise up and which can be installed into the pavement.
To meet the stringent targets for air quality and pollution caused by internal combustion engine emissions, the government is looking towards EVs. In fact, based on the £1.5 billion Road to Zero strategy, all new cars sold after 2040 will have to be one of the electrified options: pure electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen cars
The Department for Transport is apparently investigating ‘smart’ charging, which capitalizes on peak and off-peak electricity rates, and might see EV’s function as a hive-like network of power storage when can be utilised when large amounts of electricity are generated by renewables such as wind turbines, for example.
As well as the above-mentioned Road to Zero strategy, the British Government has announced the UK is to be carbon neutral by 2050. With transport being responsible for about 25% of all the greenhouse gas emissions, an essential target on the road to achieving this ambition is to improve and reduce emissions from cars What do you think? Could this initiative of installing new homes with their own charging points be the right direction to have the necessary infrastructure for EVs to be practical?
Important Vocabulary
Charge point (ˈʃarʒə pɔɪnt) – die Ladestation
To install (ɪnˈstɔ:l) – etw installieren, einbauen
To claim (kleɪm) – etw behaupten, Anspruch erheben auf
Mandatory (ˈmændətəri) – gesetzl. Vorgeschrieben, obligatorisch
Mass-adoption (ˈma:s-adɔpˈtsi̯o:n) – der Masseneinsatz, die Massenübernahme
To propose (prəˈpəʊz) – etw. vorschlagen
To force (fɔ:s) – etw. erzwingen
Off-street parking (ɔf-stri:t ˈpɑ:kɪŋ) – parken auf Parkplätzen außerhalb des Stadtzentrums
Pavement (ˈpeɪvmənt) – der Asphalt, (hier:) der Gehweg
Stringent (ˈstrɪnʤənt) – streng, hart
Internal combustion engine (ɪnˈtɜ:nəl kəmˈbʌstʃən ˈenʤɪn) – der Verbrennungsmotor
To capitalize (ˈkæpɪtəlaɪz) – etw zu Kaptial machen, aus etw Kapital schlagen
peak /off-peak (pi:k/ ɔf-pi:k) – Haupt-, Spitzen-/ Neben-
hive-like (haɪv-laɪk) – ähnlich eines Bienenstocks
to utilise (ˈju:tɪlaɪz) – etw. Nutzen, verwenden
renewable (rɪˈnju:əbl̩) – erneuerbar
above-mentioned (əˈbʌv- ˈmen(t)ʃənd) – oben genannt, bereits erwähnt
carbon neutral (ˈkɑ:bən ˈnju:trəl) – kohlendioxidneutral
greenhouse gas emission (gri:nhaʊs gæs ɪˈmɪʃən) – der Treibhausgasausstoß
ambition (æmˈbɪʃən) – der Ehrgeiz, das angestrebte Ziel