Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.18 of the Autumn Statement 2016, on electric vehicle charging points, what plans he has to ensure (a) greater compatibility between vehicles and charging points and (b) universal pricing systems for electric vehicle charging.

New powers to improve the provision of electric vehicle infrastructure have been proposed for inclusion in the forthcoming Modern Transport Bill. These proposals include a power to regulate technical standards of infrastructure to ensure easy compatability with vehicles, and a power to require clear and consistent pricing information. A public consultation closed on 24 November.

At the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced additional funding of £270m for ultra low emission vehicles – with £80m for charging infrastructure - in addition to existing funding of more than £600m over thisParliament. Grant funding for chargepoints will continue to require that all public chargepoints have standards that enable them to work with all types of electric vehicle. In addition, the EU Directive (2014/94/EU) on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure will facilitate the standardised provision of connectors for chargepoints across Europe and is currently being transposed into UK law.