The Office for Zero Emission
Vehicles has published a document setting out the policy
background and the actions we being taken to support charging
infrastructure on the strategic road network.
Government is committed to supporting industry to accelerate
electric vehicle (EV) adoption and their use for long journeys,
with £400 million announced in the 2025 Spending Review to
support the rollout of charging infrastructure, including along
the strategic road network in England.
The transition to zero emission vehicles will drive economic
growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower, helping
the UK meet its climate change obligations and improve
air quality. Access to a comprehensive public chargepoint network
to support long journeys will enable more drivers to confidently
make the switch to EVs.
Charging provision on the strategic road network, which covers
motorways and major A-roads in England, has grown substantially
over the last few years. There are now more than 5,500
open-access rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints within one mile of
the strategic road network (Zapmap, April 2025), including more
than 1,100 chargepoints specifically at motorway service areas
(industry data, July 2025). This means that provision of each has
more than trebled over the last 3 years.
The public chargepoint network will need to continue to grow over
the coming years as the number of EVs on our roads increases. In
line with our ambitions for a zero-emission car, van, and heavy
goods vehicle fleet, we aim to support industry to deliver
visible, reliable, accessible charging infrastructure on the
strategic road network ahead of need. This includes working
with industry and other stakeholders where there are specific
barriers to chargepoint installation.
We will continue to work with industry to understand how we can
best focus support where it is needed. We are keen to hear
feedback and views from industry and other stakeholders.
To find out more, you can email us at strategiccharging@ozev.gov.uk.
Alternatively, write to us at:
Strategic Charging Infrastructure
Office for Zero Emission Vehicles
Department for Transport
33 Horseferry Road
London, SW1P 4DR
Background
Government is committed to
the transition to zero emission vehicles. To enable this,
there is a need for a visible, reliable, accessible public
charging network to support current and future electric vehicle
drivers.
In November 2020, the Rapid Charging Fund was announced by the
previous government to accelerate industry's own investment in
transport decarbonisation.
A pilot scheme was opened in December 2023 to fund a portion of
the cost of upgrading the electricity grid at motorway service
areas where it was not commercially viable for industry to do so.
After close working between government and interested
stakeholders, the pilot concluded without making awards. It
generated valuable learning, including improving understanding of
future demand, barriers to rollout and helping identify
innovative solutions. It also highlighted how much the market has
changed since the Rapid Charging Fund was originally announced in
2020.
