Government initiatives, innovations, and legislation

The Scottish Government has published its Draft Implementation Plan outlining how it will support the delivery of approximately 24,000 additional public electric vehicle (EV) charge points by 2030.

The US Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and SAE Industry Technologies Consortia are planning a new universal 'Plug & Charge' framework that will enable an industry-wide seamless, secure EV charging experience across all US public stations with testing starting in 2025.

Los Angeles has the most EV charging stations in the United States, with nearly 16,000 EV chargers being installed over the past two years.

Only 56% of homes in the UK can support electric EV points, according to research from Lloyds Bank. This is due to lack of on-street parking and is a major barrier to EV uptake, the research found. The provision of on-street charge points in residential areas for the 44% unable to home charge is one solution to this problem, but it does not come without issues of its own.

In its latest National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program quarterly update, the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation says that an additional 12,000 public charging ports have come online.

The UK government will provide “certainty for consumers and opportunities for industry” in EV charging infrastructure “where the rollout depends on a stable investment environment”.

A market correction in EV sales should not affect long-term goals of more electric vehicles on the road and charging stations being built. But what is needed now is more innovative ways to encourage vehicle sales, including easier charging station payment schemes, reports David Arminas.

The role of the Scottish government in decarbonizing transportation is “necessarily changing” – and so is that of the private sector.

EV sales in the United States have soared by over 140% since the start of 2023, but additional growth may be hindered by a far slower and more uneven rollout of public charging stations.

The UK government says it is committed to reinstating the 2030 phase out of cars solely powered by internal combustion engines and the delivering the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) transition in a way that also supports UK economic growth.