UK to require charge points for electric vehicles in new buildings

FILE PHOTO: An electric car is charged at a roadside EV charge point, London, October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - Charging points for electric vehicles will be required to be installed in new buildings in Britain from next year under new legislation to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

It said the regulations would lead to up to 145,000 extra charge points being installed in England each year in the run-up to 2030, when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end in Britain.

The requirement will apply to new homes and to non-residential buildings such as offices and supermarkets. It will also apply to buildings undergoing large-scale renovations which leave them with more than 10 parking spaces.

Johnson was due to announce the new legislation in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry's annual conference on Monday.

Accelerating investment in infrastructure to facilitate a transition to electric vehicles was one of the elements in a wide-ranging national Net Zero Strategy document published by the British government last month.

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Hugh Lawson)