Infrastructural Barriers to the UK's Move to Electric, Connected, and Autonomous Vehicles
- law-tlj
- Nov 4
- 5 min read
Dr. James Marson & Dr. Katy Ferris
Can the UK’s infrastructure keep pace with the rapid advance of autonomous and electric mobility? Our new article in the Transportation Law Journal explores how local authorities, funding gaps, and legal frameworks are shaping the country’s readiness for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.[1]
Are Infrastructural Barriers Holding Back the UK’s Move to Electric and Autonomous Mobility?
Despite the UK’s ambitious vision for a net-zero, tech-enabled transport system, our research finds that the reality on the ground tells a more complex story. Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) — most of which will also be Electric Vehicles (EVs) — promise cleaner air, safer roads, and smarter cities.[2] Yet, behind this optimism lies a web of infrastructural, financial, and legal challenges that could stall the very transition they are meant to drive.
In our newly published article in the Transportation Law Journal, we examine how prepared the UK truly is for the deployment of autonomous and electric vehicles — and, crucially, the role that local authorities (LAs) play in shaping that readiness. Drawing on in-depth interviews with local authority officials, transport planners, and policy specialists across the UK, our findings reveal a nuanced picture of enthusiasm, innovation, and frustration in equal measure.
Technology is Racing Ahead — Infrastructure is Not
The UK has been a global leader in regulating and testing autonomous vehicles, underpinned by the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 and the Automated Vehicles Act 2024. Yet, regulation alone cannot deliver autonomous mobility. Our research shows that physical, digital, and policy infrastructures are developing unevenly across the country — with significant regional disparities in preparedness.
Local authorities, often operating under intense budget constraints, face the practical realities of making CAV-ready transport networks function. Many councils are trying to retrofit their existing systems: adapting street lighting columns for EV charging, designing curbside layouts that can accommodate driverless fleets, and planning for the energy demands of widespread electrification. Yet even basic issues — such as maintaining visible road markings and signage, which are essential for autonomous vehicle sensors — have become challenging as funding for road maintenance declines.
Several authorities have made impressive progress through targeted projects. Cities that have developed extensive charging networks or 5G-enabled ‘smart city’ corridors are demonstrating how CAV technologies might integrate with public transport systems and urban regeneration plans. However, such examples are the exception rather than the rule. Many others remain caught in a cycle of uncertainty — supportive of innovation, but constrained by limited resources and a lack of clear national direction.
Funding and Policy Gaps: A Persistent Obstacle
One of the most consistent themes in our interviews was the issue of funding. Initial government enthusiasm for CAV and EV innovation was accompanied by significant grant programmes, but these have become increasingly competitive and fragmented. Local authorities now rely heavily on partnerships with private sector firms and universities to pilot new mobility projects.
Even when financial support is available, local capacity is often the limiting factor. Respondents spoke of being ‘cash-strapped and risk-averse,’ forced to prioritise known transport models such as bus services or active travel initiatives over experimental technologies. Some expressed concern that the central government’s ambitious deadlines — such as ending new internal combustion engine sales by 2035 — were not matched by adequate infrastructure funding or policy clarity.
This lack of coordination not only slows the national transition but also risks creating ‘mobility inequality.’ CAV and EV deployment, particularly in early pilot phases, is often concentrated in affluent or urban areas. Without careful planning, this could deepen the divide between well-connected and underserved communities, especially in rural regions where charging and digital connectivity remain sparse.
Digital and Legal Readiness: The Hidden Infrastructure
CAVs depend not just on physical roads and charging points but also on high-speed digital networks. Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication requires stable 5G coverage and real-time data exchange. While some local authorities are proactively developing ‘smart transport’ ecosystems, others struggle with patchy digital infrastructure — a challenge that risks fragmenting the UK’s approach to mobility transformation.
Equally critical, though less visible, is the legal and institutional infrastructure. Our research adopts the concept of legal consciousness to explain how local decision-makers interpret, adapt, and act within the grey areas left by incomplete national policy. In practice, this means that many local officials are not waiting for top-down directives. Instead, they are developing their own frameworks, standards, and partnerships — building local ‘legality’ through everyday practice.
Within this process, we observed the rise of ‘champions’ — individuals or small teams inside local authorities who drive innovation through informal networks and external collaborations. These champions connect departments, broker relationships with universities and industry partners, and share best practices across regions. They are the unsung architects of the UK’s emerging CAV ecosystem.
A Transition Dependent on Collaboration
The findings suggest that while the UK is technologically and legislatively advanced, the transition to autonomous and electric mobility will ultimately hinge on coordination. The fragmented approach between national government ambitions and local implementation has left many authorities struggling to join up strategies across departments and sectors.
Those most successful in advancing CAV and EV integration were not necessarily the best funded — they were the most collaborative. Their progress came from aligning local transport, housing, and sustainability policies with broader smart city and climate objectives, often supported by strong partnerships with academia and the private sector.
The lesson is clear: innovation alone is not enough. Without an integrated infrastructure strategy — one that treats digital, physical, and policy systems as interconnected — the UK risks falling behind its own aspirations for a net-zero transport future.
Where do we go from Here?
Our study concludes that infrastructural readiness is the single most important determinant of CAV and EV success in the UK. Yet readiness is not simply a matter of installing chargers or deploying pilot vehicles. It depends on how local actors interpret and implement the law, how they collaborate across boundaries, and how government aligns its funding and policy mechanisms with the realities of local governance.
The emergence of informal ‘champions’ within local authorities offers a promising model for future governance — one that is adaptive, bottom-up, and deeply attuned to regional contexts. But this approach also raises important questions:
How can national government better coordinate with these local innovators?
What mechanisms are needed to ensure consistency across local jurisdictions without stifling flexibility?
And how can the transition to autonomous mobility avoid deepening social or spatial inequalities?
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