The recent announcement is centred on helping those lacking private driveways and with limited access to public charging stations to transition away from internal combustion engines.
Driven by Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood, those behind the project hope it could more than double the number of electric vehicle [EV] charge points across Britain. The UK currently has more than 80,000, although coverage is inconsistent from area to area, and region to region.
£381million in public funding will be provided for the mass charge network expansion, supporting the installation of 100,000 assets. Finance will be taken from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.
‘This government is powering up the EV revolution by rolling out a charge point every 29 minutes and our support to roll out over 100,000 local charge points in England shows we’re committed to making even more progress,’ said Greenwood. ‘We’re delivering our Plan for Change by investing over £4bn to support drivers make the switch, while backing British carmakers through international trade deals – creating jobs, boosting investment and securing our future.’
Last year, the current UK Government announced £88million would be spent on developing new low emission technologies, transport modes and associated products. Paid for through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK’s Collaborative R&D competition, projects will include a new ultra-lightweight vehicle platform produced through a partnership with Protean Electric and Gordon Murray Group. NHS and Royal Mail vehicles will be included in the scheme, which will involve work on e-motorcycles and wireless charge points.
Image: Michael Marais / Unsplash
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