Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage major retailers to provide vehicle charging points; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring stores over a certain size to include a number of charging points for electric vehicles.

Government has committed £2.5 billion since 2020 to support the transition to zero emission vehicles, with funding to offset their higher upfront cost, and to accelerate the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure. Of the £2.5 billion of Government funding committed to the EV transition since 2020, over £1.6 billion will be used to support charging infrastructure.

On 15 December 2021, Government laid regulations for England which require minimum charging infrastructure in new and majorly renovated non-residential buildings with car parks which have more than ten spaces, such as shops and workplaces. These measures will see charging infrastructure being installed in up to 2,600 car parks in England every year.

In addition, the Future of Transport Regulatory Review, which closed on 22nd November, sought views on the government seeking powers to require a minimum level of EV charging infrastructure in existing non-residential car parks and new standalone plot car parks. The consultation is currently being analysed and the government will publish its response in summer 2022.