UK drivers can look forward to an increased number of electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the country, thanks to an additional £56 million in public and industry funding. The funding, announced by Transport Minister Jesse Norman on February 21, 2023, will see up to 2,400 charge points installed in the short term, and support local councils in developing plans for tens of thousands more in the long term.
The funding will expand the existing Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot, as well as boost the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) and help councils develop in-house expertise and capability to coordinate ChargePoint plans & work with the operators. The aim is to create a more comprehensive and reliable network of charge points for drivers.
The expansion of the LEVI pilot will include 16 new pilot scheme areas, covering Buckinghamshire, Cumbria, Hackney, Harborough, Hounslow, Lancashire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Rotherham, Sunderland, Waltham Forest, Warwickshire, West Midlands, West Sussex, West Yorkshire, and York. The pilot areas will receive £22 million of government funding, supported by an additional £17 million of private funding, and £2 million from public funds across local authorities.
The government is also launching the £8 million LEVI Capability Fund, which will provide local authorities with the skills and ambition to scale up their charging strategies, in collaboration with private businesses and charge point operators. This will help to drive the sustainable growth of local networks and deliver ambitious ChargePoint plans for their area.
In addition, the government is bringing forward an additional £7 million of funding for the existing ORCS, bringing the total funding this year to £37 million. To date, 3,000 charge points have been installed under ORCS, with a further 10,000 in the pipeline.
Several other funding schemes are also available to support the installation of charge points for electric vehicles, including the Workplace Charging Scheme, the landlord grant, and the private/rental grant.
The UK government has already invested over £2 billion to support the transition to zero-emission vehicles, as part of the decarbonization of the country’s entire transport system. With this new funding, the government is taking another step towards creating a more sustainable and accessible electric vehicle charging network, making it easier for drivers to make the transition to EVs.
Source: Gov[Dot]UK
