Moto, the UK’s largest motorway services operator has stated today’s policy U-turn is inconsequential to its goals on the rollout of ultra-rapid EV chargers.

Moto remains 100% committed to supporting decarbonisation of the UK’s roads and its plans to significantly invest in and expand its ultra-rapid EV charging infrastructure will continue at pace.

For Moto Chief Executive, Ken McMeikan its very much business as usual with a renewed plea for more action from Government around access to power. McMeikan said: “Today’s announcement will be disappointing for many, and while a committed, clear and consistent approach would be better for business this announcement has not changed any plans for us operationally or ideologically. Whatever policy is in place at number 10 we will be continuing our mission to reduce range anxiety by revolutionising the EV charging experience for EV drivers on the UK’s motorway network with capacity, reliability, simplicity and speed.

We still believe that around one in three cars will be electric by 2030 as both the public, car manufacturers and infrastructure providers like us continue to invest in the UK’s future.

However, it is absolutely vital that, whatever the EV deadline is, the government does not use a longer timeline as a reason to deprioritise providing the UK with the power upgrades it desperately needs. While the mention of better prioritisation on grid connection is encouraging, we need clarity and action right now. Without the right access to power to get ultra rapid EV chargers up and running in the volumes needed across the UK, motorists will be hesitant about making the switch to EV”.

At the same time as pressing ahead, full throttle, to put the building blocks in place to decarbonise the UK’s roads, Moto has also been campaigning to reduce the barriers to entry on EV for UK drivers, especially around cost, with its motofesto for UK drivers. Swathes of people risk being left behind as the cost-of-living continues to bite and some of the key mechanisms moto believes must be deployed are to:

· Reinstate the Plug-in Car Grant for more affordable models and extend it to used EVs

· Scrap the higher rate of VAT on public chargers

· Introduce Vehicle Duty for electric cars in a slower and fairer way

Recent projections from Moto reveals what the future of EV driving will look like on the UK roads over the next two decades, with 1 in 10 cars on the road in 2025 being EVs, 1 in 3 by 2030 and 4 in 5 by 2040. Moto’s ambition to bring ultra-rapid EV infrastructure to the UK’s motorway aims to match this trend and provide for the expanding cohort of EV drivers with 1,045 new ultra-rapid chargers being brought to the Moto network by the end of 2025, 2,217 by 2030 and 4,707 by 2040.