England to receive 1,000 new EV chargepoints with £20m scheme

The UK is badly in need of improved infrastructure for EVs. A study from last year found that installations need to be ramped up by five times the current rate if the plan to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 is to be achieved.

Freedom of Information requests sent to local UK councils found that 52 per cent spent nothing on chargepoints in 2021 despite booming EV sales.

The DfT’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme will see local authorities and industry working together to create new, commercial EV charging infrastructure for residents, from faster on-street chargepoints to larger petrol station-style charging hubs. This is the first tranche of a much wider £450m scheme to roll out more chargers and encourage people to buy EVs.

The pilot is backed by £10m of government funding shared among the nine local authorities with winning pilot bids, supported by an additional £9m in private funding. A further £1.9m will come from public funds across local authorities.

Decarbonisation minister Trudy Harrison said: “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.

“This scheme will help to level-up electric vehicle infrastructure across the country, so that everyone can benefit from healthier neighbourhoods and cleaner air.”

Edmund King OBE, 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 £20m 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.”

The scheme will allow local authorities to provide feedback on how to grow the network and the role the private sector can play.

Following growing demand from local authorities, the DfT said it would bring forward by a year a further £10m in funding to help maintain ongoing installations.

Octopus Energy Group and the National Grid Electricity System Operator have recently been testing vehicle-to-grid technology, which uses the batteries of electric vehicles to balance electricity load on the grid.