New £56 million funding to expand electric vehicle charging across UK

The UK government has announced that drivers will benefit from an additional £56 million in public and industry funding for increasing electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the country.

This funding will help to deliver up to an additional 2,400 charge points, which are set to be installed in the short-term, while working to support local councils to deliver tens of thousands more in the long-term.

Furthermore, the funding will expand the current Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot, boost the existing On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) and help councils across England secure dedicated resources to develop in-house expertise and capability to co-ordinate charge point plans and work with private operators – delivering a more comprehensive and reliable network of chargers for drivers.

In addition to expanding three of the original LEVI pilot schemes, there are also 16 new pilot scheme areas.

Technology and Decarbonisation Transport Minister, Jesse Norman said: “The government is giving local authorities across England additional help today to energise their charge point roll-out plans. Today’s (21 February 2023) 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.”

European Commission proposes ambitious CO2 targets for buses and heavy-duty vehicles

In total, £22 million of government funding for the pilot areas is supported by an additional £17 million of private funding and £2 million from public funds across local authorities.

In addition to expanding the pilot scheme, the £8 million LEVI Capability Fund has also been launched, which will equip local authorities with the skills and ambition to scale up their plans when it comes to their charging strategy.

The funding will help local authorities work in tandem with private business and charge point operators to drive the sustainable growth of local networks, building and utilising their collective knowledge and expertise to deliver the most ambitious charge point plans for their area.

Moreover, the government has also announced that it is bringing forward a further £7 million funding for the existing On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, bringing the total funding in 2023 to £37 million. In total, 3,000 charge points have already been installed under ORCS with a further 10,000 in the pipeline.