The UK government has introduced the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill in an attempt to boost the electric and driverless car industry.
If passed, the Bill, which was announced in the House of Commons yesterday, will mean electric chargepoints will be installed at all UK motorway services and large petrol retailers. Additionally, the new bill would allow drivers of automated cars to be insured on UK roads.
The move follows on from research estimating that the driverless car market will be worth £50bn to the UK economy by 2035.
Transport minister John Hayes said: “We want the UK to be the best place in the world to do business and a leading hub for modern transport technology, which is why we are introducing the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill in Parliament and investing more than £1.2bn in the industry.”
“This bill will aid the construction of greater infrastructure to support the growing demand for automated and electric vehicles as we embrace this technology and move into the future,” he added.
Alongside the introduction of the bill, Jesse Norman, the road minister, announced further funding for local authorities to help with the installation of chargepoints in residential areas.
Norman commented: “Automated and electric vehicles will help improve air quality, cut congestion, boost safety and create thousands of skilled jobs in the UK.
“We have already supported the purchase of 115,000 ultra-low emission cars and there are already more than 11,500 publicly available chargepoints, but the demand continues to grow as more people purchase electric vehicles to cut fuel costs and boost the environment.”
The bill received its first reading in the House of Commons yesterday with a second reading due to take place at a yet unannounced date.