The first all-electric auto service station will open in Britain on Monday as drivers increasingly avoid cars fueled by gasoline and diesel. It’s another sign the energy and transport industries are gearing up to deal with as many as 30 million electric vehicles on the road by 2040. Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to phase out traditional engines in cars from 2030 and set the most agressive target in the Group of 20 nations for slashing greenhouse-gas emissions.
Gridserve has updated “the traditional petrol station model for a net-zero carbon world and is delivering the confidence people need to make the switch to electric transport today — a full decade ahead of the 2030 ban,” said Toddington Harper, its founder and chief executive officer.
Sales of battery-powered electric vehicles in the U.K. rose 122% last month from a year ago, while hybrids were up 77%, according to industry data published on Friday.
Most of the world’s EV charging infrastructure has been built in China and Europe. North America, with far less robust public subsidy and support, remains a distant third in the charging race, though some hope that a pandemic stimulus plan will catalyze a new wave of construction.