UK drivers without a driveway will be able to charge their electric vehicles more easily as government aims to roll out over 100,000 new local chargepoints in England.
Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, confirmed that government and industry are expected to install over 100,000 local chargepoints in the coming years – ideal for charging overnight for drivers without access to off-street parking. These come on top of over 80,000 public chargepoints already available in the UK.
Over 100,000 new chargepoints are being delivered thanks to the existing government funding from the £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, providing support to industry and local authorities across England.
Ms Greenwood outlined that the charge points are being delivered in partnership with both businesses and local authorities across the UK. One example follows the recent announcement of £300 million in private investment by the charge point operator Believ, which aims to build 30,000 new charge points. The government says it expects to see private investment worth up to approx. £6 billion into further charge points by 2030.
“This government is powering up the EV revolution by rolling out a chargepoint every 29 minutes and our support to roll out over 100,000 local chargepoints in England shows we’re committed to making even more progress,” said Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood.
The UK government has been working closely with local councils to fast-track the delivery of chargepoints, with Suffolk County Council being the first local authority in England to enter into a contract with a chargepoint operator to kickstart their rollout. Many more local authorities will follow in the coming weeks and months.
The milestone follows the government’s decision to cut red tape to make it easier than ever to install EV chargepoints and help more drivers save up to £1,110 a year by charging at home.
For UK drivers, the benefits of EVs are clear:
– running an EV can cost as little as 2 pence per mile
– EVs are constantly becoming cheaper, with 2 in 5 used EVs now under £20,000 and 29 brand new models priced under £30,000
– most new EVs have a range of nearly 300 miles – enough to get from London to Newcastle on one charge
