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12 projects set to receive almost £40m to revolutionise
the experience of owning an electric vehicle in the UK
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Innovations to receive investment include solar-powered
forecourts, underground charging systems and EV wireless
charging systems
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Government aims for these innovations to encourage
uptake of electric vehicles – a key aim of the Road to Zero
strategy which celebrates one-year anniversary
Today (Tuesday 8 July), the Government announces it is investing
£37m into British engineering to transform electric chargepoint
infrastructure, revolutionising the experience for the record
levels of ultra-low emission vehicle drivers on UK roads.
12 projects are set to receive a share of the funding, to support
the creation of innovations including wireless charging
technologies, meaning electric vehicles of the future could
charge without the need to plug in a cable.
The news comes on the one-year anniversary of the Government’s
Road to Zero strategy, which has driven a 60% increase in battery
electric vehicle registrations this year compared to the same
period in 2018.
Future of Mobility Minister, , said:
“We’re charging up the transport revolution and investing in
technologies to transform the experience for electric vehicle
drivers.
“Ensuring the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is
reliable and innovative is encouraging more people to join the
record numbers of ultra-low emission vehicle users already on UK
roads.”
The Road to Zero strategy sets out new measures to clean up
road transport and lead the world in developing, manufacturing
and using zero emission road vehicles. Through funding these
projects, the Government is incentivising drivers to move
towards buying electric vehicles, supporting the key aims of the
strategy.
Urban Foresight, a smart city consultancy, has been awarded over
£3 million to roll out ‘pop-up’ chargers which are built into the
pavement and provide a discreet, safe and low-cost charging
solution for electric vehicle drivers without access to
off-street parking.
Further projects to receive funding include:
- A renovation project, installing chargepoints in car parks to
allow for mass charging at night.
- A project leveraging existing Virgin Media physical and
online infrastructure to deliver cost-effective and widespread
charging, using high speed internet connections to better share
information online on charging progress and parking spaces.
- A cutting edge storage and advanced electronics project that
will deliver semi-rapid charging using a low power grid
connection minimising the need for costly substation upgrades.
Char.gy, an electric charging company has been awarded over £2.3
million and will use the funding to
develop deploy wireless charging technology on
residential streets without the need for trailing cables and
additional infrastructure.
Initial three-month feasibility studies have been completed and
successful projects are moving onto the next stage of
development.
The announcement is another milestone for the Government’s Future
of Mobility Grand Challenge, which aims to tap into the
extraordinary innovation across the country in order to make
every day journeys greener, safer, easier and more reliable.
