Utility companies should invest more in plug in electric vehicle charging, says NFB
National Federation of Builders
As Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan announced £4.5 million of funding to install electric charging points across the city.
Transport for London (TFL) will roll out 1,500 standard-speed on-street charging points in 25 out of 32 boroughs, who will each receive up to £300,000 for the works.
Sadiq Khan said: “This substantial investment in electric charging points will make a real difference, making electric vehicles an easier and more practical option for Londoners across our city.”
Khan went on to identify the environmental value to health: “Improving London’s air quality by reducing emissions is a real priority for our city. It is unacceptable that 9,000 people a year die early in London due to air pollution.”
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) thinks that Khan is approaching Plug in Electric Vehicles (PEV) in the right way and hopes that this investment will encourage utility companies to invest in their own network in turn.
Several councils have been trying to meet air-quality standards by requiring developers – through planning conditions – to install PEV charging points. SME developers take pride in delivering modern homes, but they have become concerned at the excessive sums of money they are paying to improve the utility companies’ under-invested network – especially when the revenues an electric company will derive from PEV will be in perpetuity.
Rico Wojtulewicz, policy advisor of the NFB, said: “Some developers are paying for substations to connect two houses. These will – in the future – connect many more homes and in perpetuity, but in the short term they have either made a development less viable or transferred the cost to homeowners.
Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB continued: “Our members absolutely want to help the Government to meet their ambition of no new petrol or diesel cars by 2040 and we understand that residential charging points are an imperative way to do that. However, house builders and not utility companies ultimately build homes. We are very pleased to see Khan’s funding tackle a growing problem and we hope other cities, towns and councils are brave enough follow his lead.”
