UK Government to install 2,400 new EV charge points across England
Up to £56m of public and industry funding will be used to deliver the expansive plans for the UK's charging network
The UK government has announced plans to boost the country's electric vehicle charging network by installing 2,400 electric vehicle charge points in 19 local authority areas in England.
Up to £56 million of public and industry investment will be used to fund the move, and is part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) and On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) initiatives.
Funding comprises £22m of government funding, £17m of private funding, and £2m from public funds across local authorities.
It comes following the UK government's broader plans to install 300,000 EV chargers across England by 2030, in anticipation of the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans.
The £56m investment will fund 16 new pilot schemes for EV chargers in local authority areas, which include Buckinghamshire, Cumbria, Hackney, Harborough, Hounslow, Lancashire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Rotherham, Sunderland, Waltham Forest, West Midlands, West Sussex, West Yorkshire, and York.
The funding will also help expand existing LEVI pilot schemes in Barnet, Durham, and North Yorkshire.
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 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."