Millions of drivers without a driveway will be able to charge
their electric vehicles (EVs) more easily as the Government is
set to roll out thousands more local chargepoints across
England.
Today (Friday 13 June), Future of Roads Minister 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 £381m Local Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, providing support to industry and
local authorities across England .
The Government is investing £2.3bn to support industry and
consumers switch to EVs while securing global trade deals to back
British carmakers. Getting this transition right will help
Britain tap into a multibillion-pound industry, create high paid
jobs for decades to come and deliver on our Plan for Change by putting
more money in the pockets of hardworking families.
Future of Roads Minister, , said:
“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.
“We're delivering our Plan for Change by investing over £4
billion to support drivers make the switch, while backing British
carmakers through international trade deals – creating jobs,
boosting investment and securing our future.”
This comes as £300m in private investment by Believ for 30,000
new chargepoints all over the UK has been announced – a powerful
vote of confidence by industry in the EV transition.
All of this is alongside an expected £6bn in private investment
to install tens of thousands of chargepoints by 2030 – as the
Government continues to drive investment and support jobs to
deliver the Plan for Change.
Guy Bartlett, Believ CEO, said:
"It's fantastic to see government and private industry working
together to accelerate the EV charging rollout. Collaboratively,
we recognise the scale of investment required and the urgency of
the need.
“Confidence in EVs will continue to grow as drivers see more
infrastructure going into the ground. At Believ, we are very
proud to be at the heart of this journey.”
The 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 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.
The government continues to be on the side of British carmakers.
On top of the recent changes to the ZEV Mandate,
the crucial trade deals with
the US, India and
the European Union have
given the sector certainty and helped safeguard around 150,000
jobs in the automotive and steel sectors.
It follows 1,000 jobs created after a £1
billion investment for a new state-of-the-art
gigafactory in Sunderland to further accelerate the transition to
electric vehicles, bolster Britain's industrial heartland and
boost growth.
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
- Public chargepoint growth is booming across all regions, with
the number of charging devices up 30% in the North and in the
South West, 44% in the West Midlands and 43% in the East of
England since April 2024 – ensuring drivers are never far from a
plug, wherever they live.
- LEVI is expected to support just under 80 local authority
projects right across England, , of which around 30 have gone out
to procurement.
- The first LEVI supported contract has been signed: Suffolk,
and many more in the pipeline in the coming weeks.
