Thousands of new EV chargepoints to be installed across England
Image credit: Michael Flippo/Dreamstime
The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that 2,400 new chargepoints will be installed in locations across England using public and industry funding.
UK drivers will benefit from an additional £56m in public and industry funding for increasing electric vehicle (EV) charging points across the country.
A total of 2,400 new chargepoints will be installed in locations such as Cumbria, Norfolk, Oxfordshire and West Sussex, the DfT has announced, as part of the 'Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure' (LEVI) pilot scheme.
The scheme will help local authorities work in tandem with private businesses and chargepoint operators to drive the sustainable growth of local networks and increase the number of chargepoints available in each area.
In addition to the expansion of the scheme, 16 new pilot scheme areas will benefit from the funding.
“The government is giving local authorities across England additional help today to energise their chargepoint roll-out plans," said transport minister Jesse Norman.
“Today’s commitment will lead to thousands of new chargers being installed and plans for tens of thousands extra in due course, so that more people than ever can make the transition to using EVs.”
The EV sector is experiencing year-on-year growth, with sales of second-hand pure electric cars in particular jumping by 44 per cent in the third quarter of 2022. However, demand for EVs overall has fallen in recent months due to rising energy prices and concerns about government policy.
During 2022, fewer than 9,000 public EV charging devices were installed in the UK, leading to claims that the infrastructure is not keeping up with demand.
However, the DfT said the government has already spent more than £2bn to support the move to zero-emission vehicles. The investment will reportedly be supported by an additional £17m of private funding and £2m from public funds across local authorities.
The government news follows the publication of a new study from Juniper Research, which has found revenue from EV charging will exceed $300bn globally by 2027, up from $66bn in 2023.
The report concluded that EV charging networks must simplify access and work with local authorities to roll out chargers to a wider range of locations and avoid a deceleration of the market.
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