Rexel welcomes electrical vehicle Road to Zero strategy

Electrical wholesaler Rexel has welcomed the government’s Road to Zero strategy which will see greater numbers of  electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed in new homes, office blocks and roadsides – but has warned this is only part of the wider picture.

Wayne Bridgehouse, Head of Corporate Sales for Facilities & Energy Management Solutions at Rexel said: “We’re pleased that the Government has published its strategy to create a better EV charging infrastructure in the UK. Undoubtedly there is an appetite among the consumers to make the move to electric vehicles, but currently it is not always practical for people in their daily lives.

“We have always maintained that a great infrastructure is the key to increasing the take up of electric vehicles, but this is only one aspect. It’s not enough just to install lots of new charging points – as great as this is – but there is then a wider energy picture to consider.

“For example, to ensure everyone is able to charge their vehicles simultaneously we’d like the Government to also implement better plans around the self generation of energy through wide spread adoption of solar. If new homes were all built with solar panels and battery storage to reduce peak demand, I think this would be another important step towards creating a successful infrastructure for electric vehicles.”

The strategy, which includes a £400m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, aims to ban all new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040.

As part of the new strategy ministers are also looking at extending facilities to commercial buildings, such as offices, and the grant level available through the Workplace Charging Scheme will rise to 75% of the purchase and costs of a chargepoint.

Bridgehouse added: “It’s vital that commercial buildings are also part of these new plans, but again it would be great to see this accompanied by an energy generation consideration.”

Rexel, which has up to 250 branches nationwide, offers solutions for both commercial and domestic EV charging.