The government has announced a £20mln boost to a scheme aimed at supporting the switch to electric cars and cleaner travel by building a charge point infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) that will provide easier access for residents without private driveways.
Over 1,000 new EV chargers will be installed across the country in a pilot backed by £20mln of government and industry funding, the Department for Transport said in a statement.
The pilot, which will see charge points built in nine local authorities in England, is part of a wider £450mln scheme.
In its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy announced in March, the government said it aims to increase the UK’s charge points to 300,000 by 2030.
Meanwhile, oil company Shell PLC (LSE:SHEL, NYSE:SHEL) has said it plans to install 100,000 EV chargers across the country by the end of the decade.
Under the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme announced today, local authorities and industry will work together to provide access to commercial EV charge points for drivers without private driveways, ranging from on-street chargers to larger petrol station-style charging hubs.
The winners of the pilots are Barnet, Dorset, Durham, Kent, Midlands Connect, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Warrington.
The LEVI fund builds on the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), which has seen nearly 2,900 chargepoints installed so far with funding provided for around 10,000 additional charge points in the future.
The government has also brought forward a further £10mln in funding, increasing this year’s ORCS funding to £30mln to maintain ongoing installations.
“We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV chargepoints, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel,” said Decarbonisation Minister Trudy Harrison.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “It is essential that more on-street chargers are delivered to boost the transition to zero emission vehicles for those without home charging.
“This injection of an extra £20 million funding will help bring power to electric drivers across England from Durham to Dorset. This is one further positive step on the road to electrification.”
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes added: "The goal must be to spark electric vehicle uptake by creating an excellent charging infrastructure that caters for everyone’s needs.”