- Ed Miliband stressed the need to speed up EV charging infrastructure, citing previous delays that confused the market.
- Ensuring accessible, affordable, and widespread charging options is a key focus for the government’s ongoing infrastructure plans.
- Industry leader Asif Ghafoor urged for faster chargers, private sector involvement, and annual power delivery targets for DNOs.
UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, ED Miliband, calls for an accelerated EV infrastructure rollout
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, urged stronger efforts to accelerate the UK’s switch to EVs. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to phasing out new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. He noted that delays by the previous government, which pushed the phase-out to 2035, caused confusion in the market. Many industry leaders echoed this sentiment at the time.
Miliband remarked:
“There’s two particular problems that I would identify. The first problem is that the last government pushed the date back to 2035, and that was part of what has screwed the market a bit, and that’s why we are clear about the 2030 phase out date for new petrol and diesel vehicles.
The second thing that’s got to be done, and actually, this is the biggest thing, is to get this charging infrastructure right. Because I think one of the worries people have is, is the charging infrastructure going to be there? Am I going to be ripped off in the charging infrastructure?”
The bigger issue, according to Miliband, is the need for better EV charging infrastructure. Payment and accessibility anxiety have become major roadblocks for would-be adopters. The government is working on a plan to address this.
Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, shared his thoughts, beginning with an improved LEVI system:
“There should be a simple mandate that compels every local authority to open up 50% of their land for private companies to install EV chargers. They don’t have the capital or expertise to do it themselves.
Ed Miliband said he is willing to look into annual targets for the number of chargers to be installed, but this would be unhelpful. The obsession with total numbers leads to far too many cheap lamppost chargers being installed, which are not only slow, but will become nothing more than street clutter in the next three years.
Instead, the Government should set clear targets that each DNO needs to deliver a certain amount of power to chargers on an annual basis or they get fined! It’s simple – we need more of a focus on installing faster chargers and put the pressure on DNOs to get them to speed up the transition.”
