Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of grid capacity in relation to electric vehicle charging; and what plans he has to increase grid capacity to accommodate the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed ahead of Government plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

Electricity network operators at both the distribution and transmission levels are responsible for assessing the need for new investment to support electric vehicle charging as part of their business plans, which are then approved by Ofgem, the independent regulator. My officials regularly meet with network operators across Great Britain to discuss the impacts of the electric vehicle transition, including how the increasing demand will be managed whilst minimising the impact on businesses, workers and consumers.

‘Smart’ charging can help reduce constraints on the network by allowing electricity demand to be shifted throughout the day. In 2019 the Government consulted on mandating that all private charge points sold or installed in the UK must be smart enabled. We intend to lay the relevant legislation this year.

The UK electricity market is already set up to bring forward investment in generation to meet demand. For example, the Contracts for Difference scheme supports significant investment in low carbon generation. The Government is also investing more than £1.3bn to support new EV charging infrastructure, including £950m on future proofing electricity network capacity along the Strategic Road Network. The necessary investment in infrastructure and the adoption of smart charging will ensure that the electricity network is able to support the mass charging of electric vehicles.