Queen’s Speech reveals motorway services and petrol stations will have to install electric car charging points
MOTORWAY services and major petrol station chains will be required to install charge points for electric vehicles.
The announcement was made in the Queen's Speech to help ensure the UK is a "world leader in new industries".
Measures in a bill on automated and electric vehicles announced by the government will also support the invention, design and use of driverless cars.
Compulsory motor vehicle insurance will be extended to cover the use of automated vehicles to ensure compensation claims continue to be paid quickly, fairly and easily.
Charge points for electric vehicles at motorway service areas and large fuel retailers will be required under the new laws.
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It will also require a set of common technical and operational standards for the technology.
The distance a battery electric car can drive before it needs recharging and the availability of charging points remain two of the biggest concerns for EV buyers.
Some 100,000 vehicles in the UK have been bought with help from a Government plug-in car grant for electric vehicles.
And 13,800 ultra-low emissions vehicles were registered in the first quarter of 2017 - up 17 per cent for the same period in 2016.
The UK is the largest market for electric vehicles in the EU, while one in five electric cars sold in the EU last year was made in the UK.
The Government said it was committed to spending £600 million during this Parliament to support the ultra-low emissions' market.
A further £270 million was announced in the autumn statement last year.
What is the Queen's Speech?
THE Queen’s Speech is a flagship event that sets out the Government’s agenda for the next two years.
- Where? The Queen’s Speech takes place at the State Opening of Parliament.
- Who? Written by the PM and his or her colleagues, it outlines the Government’s legislative agenda for the coming year.
The event sees the Queen address the House of Lords before the Commons are invited into the chamber by Black Rod, the Monarch’s envoy in Parliament, to hear the speech. MPs then debate the speech back in the House of Commons. - What? It gives the best marker as to what policies will be pursued most vigorously and what plans will be put on the backburner.