New homes in Wales 'should be EV ready'

The Welsh National Assembly’s Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee has said that all new residential developments in Wales should include provisions for electric vehicle charging.

After the Welsh Government suggested that non-residential developments should have at least one in ten parking spaces set aside for ultra-low emission vehicles, the committee has said that such plans need to go further.

It warned that a lack of public chargers meant the network could struggle to cope if there was a surge in electric car sales, with some motorists in rural areas admitting that they would not switch because they feared not being able to charge their cars.

Some developments like Parc Eirin in Tonyrefail, Rhondda Cynon Taff, are already being built with a charging point at each house.

There are currently 547 public charging points in Wales, of which 60 are rapid chargers. In England, that number is 12,763, with 2,022 rapid points.

Russell George, chair of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, said: “As the electric vehicle market expands, there is a clear need for urgent acceleration by the Welsh Government to ensure the network can cope. Communication with stakeholders and the people of Wales will be a critical part of delivering this network.

“We also believe the EV infrastructure can be hard-wired in if the government requires all new residential developments to set aside car parking capacity for electric vehicles, as is currently the case with non-residential.”