New buildings, streets, and streetlamps in the U.K. must be furnished with charging bases for electric cars, according "Road to Zero" program just released by the U.K government on July 9.

The program is part of the government's effort boosting the share of electric cars and hybrid cars in new cars to over 50% by 2030, as a prelude to the ban on sale of fossil-fuel cars by 2040, a goal announced in 2017.

In addition, under the auspices of "Workplace Charging Scheme," subsidies for installation of electric-car charging stations by enterprises, charities, and public agencies has been raised by 75%.

Moreover, the U.K. government has been investing heavily in the installation and development of charging bases, such as investment of 30 million pounds, publicized in Feb. 2018, in V2G technology, capable of channeling extra power of electric cars to grid, followed by recent announcement of 400 million pounds of subsidy for the enterprises engaged in the production and installation of charging bases, plus a 40 million-pound R&D project on low-cost wireless charging technology and 4.5 million-pound subsidy for street and residential charging bases by 2020.

Along with the plan to ban sale of fossil-fuel cars starting 2040, the U.K. government aims to put in place extensive charging network, in order to attain the goal of cutting CO2 emission to 80% of the level in 1990s by 2050.

The government points out that it will evaluate the usage status of electric cars in 2025 before deciding whether to offer extra subsidies to accelerate the popularity of electric cars. Chris Grayling, secretary of state for transport, noted that extensive installation of charging stations will bring environmental and economic benefits to the nation, helping it have a larger share in the global electric-car market, estimated to top 7.6 trillion pounds by 2050.

Such programs have heartened many charging-device manufacturers, saying it will speed up the pace of the U.K. society towards the zero-carbon goal.

France and Taiwan have also set the goal of banning sale of fossil-fuel cars by 2040, while Norway and Holland even set the schedule as early as 2025, compared with 2030 set by Germany and India. Such goals will foster tremendous business potential related to electric cars and charging devices.

(Written by Daisy Chuang)