The EU has stated that by 2050 we need to end petrol. Chris Huhne, the UK's Energy Secretary has adopted this target and set out a roadmap to replace the UK's 30m petrol and diesel cars and vans with electric vehicles.
These vehicles will be charged using low carbon electricity - in other words, by electricity from wind farms and nuclear power stations. This will require a near doubling of the UK's capacity for power generation and the building of 32,000 wind turbines inland, on the coast and off-shore. It will be expensive but it will provide energy security and also reduce pollution and noise levels in our cities - and of course mitigate climate change.
My focus now has switched from kick-starting the electric vehicle market to preparing a roadmap for the rewiring of Britain. In other words, on the products and business model that will enable a national plug-in vehicle recharging infrastructure to be successfully developed on a commercial basis across the UK. I have joined Elektromotive, the company that pioneered recharging stations with the introduction of the Elektrobay - and is currently Europe's leading and world number 3 EVSEV (electric vehicle supply equipment vendor), according to a report published this year by Pike Research.
It's all part of a new industrial revolution to decarbonise Britain and transform it into an electron economy - a huge challenge and an exciting journey.
