Image: DfT
Nine local authorities are to receive a share of £20 million in funding to make it easier for people without a driveway to charge their electric vehicles.
The funding is being made available through the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme – and is expected to deliver more than 1,000 new public charge points. These will range from faster on-street charge points to larger petrol station-style charging hubs.
Funding for the scheme comes from a combination of Government and industry, as part of a collaborative approach to encourage more motorists to go electric. It is the first phase of a wider £450 million scheme.
Trudy Harrison, decarbonisation minister, said: “We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV charge points, 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 level up electric vehicle infrastructure across the country, so that everyone can benefit from healthier neighbourhoods and cleaner air.”
The nine local authorities to receive funding through the LEVI scheme are: Barnet, Dorset, Durham, Kent, Midlands Connect (with Lincolnshire as a lead authority), North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Warrington.
Through the scheme, which is supported by both the AA and the RAC, these authorities will provide feedback on how to grow the EV charging network, and the role the private sector can play in this process.
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 £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.”
The Government has also announced an additional £10 million in funding for the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), which has seen nearly 2,900 charge points installed so far.
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