Can East Anglia cope with the electric car revolution?

The announcement was made in a report Powering Up Britain, created by the newly formed Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which set out how the government planned to reduce the country's carbon emissions. 

Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Image: PA Wire)

Already the government has announced that it will ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. 

But as the EV revolution accelerates, pressure is growing on the region to ensure the infrastructure is in place to support the rapid growth in electric cars on our roads.

Electric service stations 

Already firms are setting up electric charging points at service stations across Norfolk and Suffolk. The challenge is in keeping up with demand.

Hearts Services near Beccles, which is on a key route to Lowestoft, has applied for planning permission to install EV charging points. Others will follow.

Gridserve, a national firm that specialises in providing EV charging infrastructure, opened its first forecourt in the region last year at the Postwick interchange just outside Norwich. 

The site is seen as a major factor in accelerating the spread of EVs in the region.

Gridserve's electric forecourt in Norfolk (Image: Newsquest)

A spokesman for the company said that the location was chosen as a way for it to "showcase the high-quality EV charging can be easy, accessible and convenient". 

He added: "Norwich and the wider East of England region, at the time, had a comparatively low EV charger coverage compared to other regions, accounting for just 1pc of the cars on the road in the Norwich area.

"In addition to this, Norwich had received government funding to assess the viability of a zero-emission zone in the city in a bid to cut air pollution from the city centre.

"It became clear to us at Gridserve that there was a need to ensure that Norwich was not isolated from the EV revolution and uptake wasn’t halted due to a lack of charging infrastructure.

"At the time of opening, the Electric Forecourt more than doubled the number of high-powered chargers in the region, providing essential charging infrastructure that delivers drivers the confidence to go electric.”

Public charging points 

Although firms are taking the lead in establishing EV charging infrastructure, councils are also looking for ways to prepare for the increase in electric cars. 

A government report on its strategy for creating EV infrastructure stated: "Building a world-leading charging network will enable EV drivers to plug in and charge anywhere, be it on the street where they live, where they shop, or on route to their destination."

Electric car charging (Image: NQ)

As part of the move to create EV charging infrastructure, Norfolk is set to get a £1.1m boost from the government. 

The money will be used to create 80 EV charge points around the Broads and the north Norfolk coast, in addition to the 46 to be installed in 40 Norwich streets. 

The EV revolution 

Already a growing number of motorists are opting to switch to electric cars and, with the government's continued drive towards encouraging their uptake, the number of EVs on our roads are expected to rise rapidly. 

"Month on month, year on year, we continue to see the number of EVs on UK roads grow – it is safe to say that the electric vehicle revolution is well underway," said a Gridserve spokesman.

"More drivers are realising the environmental and economic benefits of driving an electric car, alongside the far better driving experience, and we expect this momentum to continue, particularly as we move closer to the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

"As uptake of EVs across the country continues to grow, the UK’s charging network will too.”