The Government released its electric vehicle infrastructure strategy on 25 March 2022, setting out a nationally co-ordinated, locally delivered plan for public charging that aims to build ahead of need1. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK motor industry trade body, responded to the strategy the same day, saying it addresses problems with the current customer charging experience1.
The SMMT said the strategy points in the right direction but that binding targets are needed if industry and consumers are to have certainty to invest. It called for a universal right to charge electric vehicles for all drivers, and said focus must go to expanding public on-street and destination charging, not just for cars but for all road transport1.
"The EV infrastructure strategy released today points in the right direction"
The SMMT set out the scale of the shift already under way. More than 150 plug-in models are now available in the UK, up from six in 2011, and plug-in registrations have risen from one in 1,750 to one in six over the same period1. It described the UK as already having an enviable and ever-growing rapid charging network1.
The strategy arrives alongside regulation the SMMT described as among the world's toughest: the phasing out of sales of new internal combustion engine cars and vans by 2030, hybrids by 2035 and heavy goods vehicles by 2040, with a zero emissions vehicle mandate due imminently1. The SMMT said mandates on manufacturers alone will not drive the transition, and that businesses need competitiveness on energy, investment and skills1.
The trade body also reported continuing pressure on UK vehicle manufacturing. Car production fell 31.7% and engine production fell 30.9% in February, while commercial vehicle output rose 92.2% year on year but remained below pre-pandemic levels1. The SMMT said the sector entered 2022 hopeful for recovery but that recovery had not yet begun1.
Why it matters for households
Charging at home is the cheapest and most convenient way for most drivers to run an electric vehicle, but households without off-street parking depend on public provision. The strategy's stated aim of building ahead of need is intended to address that gap, and the SMMT's call for binding infrastructure targets reflects concern that chargepoint rollout may otherwise lag behind vehicle sales1. For a household considering a switch, the practical questions are whether on-street or destination charging exists locally and whether it can be relied on. The SMMT said the strategy addresses the current customer charging experience, but no specific national chargepoint numbers, funding figures or installation deadlines are given in its response1. Details of how the plan will be delivered locally have not been reported here.
What happens next
The SMMT said a zero emissions vehicle mandate is due imminently, and that commensurate and binding targets must be set for infrastructure provision, deployed nationally and at pace1. No dates for further government announcements on chargepoint targets are given in the SMMT's response1. Households weighing up electric vehicle charging arrangements, or following the regulation and policy that governs the transition, will see the practical effect through local chargepoint provision rather than through the strategy document itself.