There is up to £40 million for UK businesses to develop and
demonstrate new ways of charging electric vehicles. The funding
comes from the Office of Low Emission
Vehicles and Innovate UK, which is part of UK Research and Innovation.
Growing the infrastructure to support uptake
UK government wants nearly all cars and vans to be zero emission
by 2050. A major challenge will be to grow the UK’s charging
infrastructure quickly enough to make electric vehicles an
attractive choice.
The funding is split across 2 competitions. These are:
- to support electric vehicle owners who don’t have suitable
off-street parking to charge their vehicles in public spaces
- to investigate wireless charging options for owners of
vehicles such as taxis, service vehicles and delivery vans
Electric vehicle charging for public spaces
This first competition is looking for creative new designs and
technologies that could offer significant, convenient and
low-cost charging facilities to areas where people don’t have
off-street parking.
Ideas could range from providing on-street infrastructure to
creating a community charging hub.
There are 2 phases. It will fund a series of feasibility studies
in a first phase. The best ideas could go on to receive further
funding for large-scale demonstration projects in public areas.
- the competition is open, and the deadline for applications is
at midday on 29 August 2018
- projects must be led by a business working with other
businesses, local authorities, research organisations or
charities
- phase 1 feasibility studies should have costs of between
£75,000 and £120,000 and last up to 3 months
- phase 2 demonstrator projects should have costs of between £5
million and £10 million and last up to 18 months
- businesses could attract up to 70% of their project costs
Wireless electric charging
The second competition focuses on new technologies that would
allow commercial vehicles - such as taxis, service vehicles and
delivery fleets - to top up their batteries during the day
without having to stop to plug in.
Projects should look at commercially-feasible ideas and business
models that would enable vehicles to be charged while causing
minimum disruption to their business.
They could aim to show how wireless charging could be used by
taxis in places such as stations and airports, or with commercial
vehicles at major depots, hubs or delivery bays.
It will fund a series of feasibility studies in a first phase.
The second phase will fund the best ideas for large-scale
infrastructure and demonstration projects on publicly or
privately-owned roads and transportation or logistics hubs.
- the competition is open, and the deadline for applications is
at midday on 29 August 2018
- projects must be led by a business working with other
businesses, local authorities, research organisations or
charities
- phase 1 feasibility studies should have costs of between
£75,000 and £120,000 and last up to 3 months
- phase 2 demonstrator projects should have costs of between £3
million and £9 million and last up to 18 months
- businesses could attract up to 70% of their project costs
