[ClumsyPilot]

I am absolutely in agreement that initial installation will be expensive, and cannot happen without a national initiative/funding pot. Thank you for providing clarity on numbers, which I did not have.

I am hoping arguing that, on average, charging points should last decades so the running costs should be minimal and the system would save money in the long run, purely when you consider physical resources involved.

To further reduce running costs and put it on commercial footing, we could try a modular approach - Maybe we could have a system where we dig up the street, and install something like a metal frame in the ground covered by a (miniature) manhole, which includes a fixture, electric cabling, etc. It's just a dumb and robust connector, nor electronics.

Then different charging points could be installed there by private companies, or by homeowners, etc at a fee. The idea is to have like a standard connector - any maintenance would (normally) be needed on the charge point only, metering is done by the charge point and upstream at street level. Maybe we can mandate smart metering like we are doing for houses right now.