The electric car has seen its steady augmentation over recent years. Governmental moves towards ‘greener’ energy sources and legislation have encouraged a jump within the ecological market and the positive effects of developing sustainable technologies. As ‘grey’ energy clouds begin to clear, we are starting to see ‘clean’ patches of brighter skies peek down into the nation’s electricity pool. But is it enough?

Yesterday, John Healey, housing minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), released a report on the potential hindrances that face electric vehicle owners in a bid to help support major national changes.

In response to the Prime Minister’s call to switch-on a motoring revolution by opening the door for electric vehicles, the DCLG announced that it will be relaxing a number of minor regulatory restrictions in order to encourage full implementation of the emerging network.

This movement came on the same day as development rights for small scale renewable and low carbon energy technologies also fell into focus.

The changes proposed by DCLG are to encourage the public support of electric vehicle ‘top-up’ stations across the capital.

Investments towards a city-large infrastructure of small scale energy stations have already gone underway. Healey’s endorsement of the move is in order to help give electric-alternatives the awareness they require in order to integrate them as a fully accessible and viable mode of transport:

‘We take the basic services on our streets for granted, such as street lighting and phone boxes,” said Mr Healey. “In the future, this will include electric-car charging points.

“To stand a chance of tackling climate change, we need nothing less than a national crusade with everyone able to play their part to offset carbon emissions.”

Previous pushes have been made this year to realise Mayor of London, Boris Johnson’s vision to make the nation’s capital the European centre of electric cars. Sainsbury’s, the local supermarket giant, have installed two at nine of their stores across London in a bid to help the capital become cleaner. Mr Johnson plans to develop a massive 25,000 charging points at sites across London. The Mayor also hopes to accommodate approximately 100,000 electric cars by 2015.

However, doubts surrounding the initiative’s integrity have come into concern as UK-grid energy content remains predominantly ‘grey’. Currently, 80.6% of the nation’s total generation is sourced from fossil fuels; with only 3.6% generated from renewable sources and 15.8% coming from nuclear.

Renewable, or what has come to be called ‘Deep Green’ sources are also being encouraged by government officials. Ecotricity, the major green energy provider, defines Deep Green as energy ‘harnessed from natural sources, like the wind, the sun and water, that don’t pollute and don’t contribute to climate change.’

Ecotricity are just one example of how Britain can come together and off-set their carbon emissions by switching to Deep Green energy tariffs and encourage the implementation of renewable sources throughout the nation.

Ongoing talks continue over strategies to help the UK make the switch from ‘grey’ to ‘green’ energy. And with progressive eco-changes being made to the face of the country, let’s hope the Mayor’s visionary smile is as ‘clean’ as it can be.