Electric vehicle charging recives £400M boost

Plans for a cleaner and healthier Britain have stepped up a gear, with Ministers announcing more than half a billion pounds of investment in green technologies.

The Treasury has launched a £400M fund to bolster Britain’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with the first £70M allocated for 3,000 charge points – more than doubling the number across the UK to 5,000.

In order to encourage more people to use electric vehicles, the rapid charge points are designed to recharge a family car in as little as 20 minutes, compared to existing technology which can take 40 minutes – making the reality of driving electric vehicles easier and more accessible. The UK already has one of the largest electric vehicle charging networks in Europe, and this investment will help make that the fastest by installing state-of-the-art technology.

A review is currently underway to explore the provision of charge points across major road networks. Today’s investment complements some £1.5Bn already invested to boost the uptake of electric vehicles towards the Government’s ambition to end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.

Exchequer Secretary Simon Clarke said: “We are driving ahead with plans to make travel greener while backing British innovation and technology.

“I am delighted to announce this funding today that will more than double the number of rapid charge points for electric vehicles on our roads. Britain already boasts one of the biggest networks of charging infrastructure in Europe and soon we will have the fastest thanks to this investment.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “It’s fantastic there is already a rapid chargepoint at almost every motorway service station, and now more charging stations than petrol stations. But I want to see thousands more chargepoints installed across the UK.

“This fund will help drum up further investment in charging infrastructure from the private sector, so charging an electric car becomes as easy as plugging in a smart phone.”

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