England issues new law to make all cars electric

By Aryaman Bhatia Science and Tech editor, The Pawprint 

From next year, new houses and buildings in England will be obliged by law to have electric car charging ports, according to the prime minister. According to the government, the effort would result in up to 145,000 charging points being constructed around the country each year. 

The new regulation will also apply to newly constructed supermarkets, businesses, and buildings undergoing substantial renovations. 

The action coincides with the UK’s goal of transitioning to electric vehicles, with new petrol and diesel car sales prohibited beginning in 2030. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce the new legislation at the Confederation of British Industry convention on Monday, saying, “This is a key moment – we cannot continue as we are.”

“Our economy must be adapted to the green industrial revolution.” However, Labour claims that the move fails to address the “appalling” regional disparity in accessible charging sites.

 “There are more public automobile charging outlets in London and the South East than in the whole of England and Wales combined.”

However there is nothing here to aid with this, “There is also no assistance to enable lower and middle-income households purchase electric cars or the investment necessary to develop the gigafactories we want,”. Labour stated. According to the administration, the new regulations will “make it as simple as refueling a petrol or diesel automobile today.”

Along with the news about charging stations, the government also stated that over £10 million will be invested in a new hydrogen project at the UK’s largest onshore wind farm near Glasgow.

The funding will assist the Whitelee green hydrogen project in developing the UK’s largest electrolyser, a technology that turns water into hydrogen gas to store energy and give zero-carbon fuel to local transportation providers.