The UK wants an electric-vehicle charger in every home

The country’s new electric-vehicle strategy aims for 50 percent of its new car purchases to be of “ultra low emission vehicles” by 2030.

Some background: Last year, the UK announced the sale of gas and diesel cars and vans will be banned after 2040. It also committed almost 1 billion pounds to clean-energy innovation, some of which will help people buy electric cars.

The news: After months of delays caused by intense lobbying, the government’s report on the initiative, called ”The Road to Zero,” was released today. It states that by 2040, the UK expects “the majority of new cars and vans sold to be 100 percent zero emission and all new cars and vans to have significant zero emission capability.” So yeah, 2040 is a soft deadline, and there’s plenty of wiggle room for hybrid cars.

Charged up: Newly built homes could soon be required to install an electric-car charging port. The report also stated that the UK is launching a 400-million-pound investment fund to help speed up the construction of charging stations.

Why it matters: As we have said before, a boost from government policy is needed to help electric cars dominate the roads. This government push, combined with how little it costs to own an electric car in the UK, could give them the bump they need.