Electric boost: over 16,000 Electric Vehicle chargers on the way for the Midlands

Drivers across the Midlands will benefit from more than 16,000 new Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers as the region secures over £40m in Government investment.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood has today (Friday 7 March), confirmed that 13 local authorities across the Midlands, supported by Midlands Connect, have received £40.8m from the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to roll out thousands of chargers across the region.

While the charging network continues to grow – with over 10,000 public chargers already available across the Midlands – today's announcement will provide many more drivers across the Midlands easy access to charging near their home.

The funding comes on top of over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs. This is creating high paid jobs, supporting businesses up and down the country and tapping into a multi-billion pound industry to make the UK a clean energy superpower and deliver the Plan for Change.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said:

“Making charging as seamless and as easy as possible is a crucial to making the switch to electric a success, and rolling out over 16,000 chargers across the Midlands will make driving an EV cheaper and easier, especially for those without a driveway.

“Electric vehicles will power growth, cut emissions and improve lives in the Midlands and beyond, as we continue to deliver our Plan for Change.”

The new chargers will boost charging infrastructure across the Midlands, including in smaller towns and rural areas, ensuring that EV owners and those looking to switch can drive with the confidence they will always be close to a chargepoint, no matter where they live.

The announcement follows a particularly positive week for electric vehicles, with £120m confirmed to help drivers and businesses buy zero-emission vans, taxis and electric motorcycles. Last week, the Department also announced it has rolled out more than 1,400 chargepoints at schools and over 59,000 chargers at offices and workplaces across the country, improving access to chargepoints and fitting charging an EV around people's everyday lives.

The UK's public chargepoint network continues to grow every day, with over 74k public chargers now available across the country and a record of nearly 20k added last year alone.

With £200 million announced at Budget to continue powering the chargepoint rollout and £6 billion of private investment in the pipeline, the UK's charging network will continue to see hundreds of thousands of chargers added in the coming years, delivering resilient infrastructure so that EV owners can drive with the confidence that they're always close to a chargepoint.

With over 382k EVs sold in 2024 – up a fifth on the previous year – the UK is the largest EV market in Europe. There's never been a better time to switch to EVs, with one in three 3 used electric cars under £20,000 and 21 brand new electric cars RRP under £30,000.

Owning an EV is also becoming increasingly cheaper, with drivers able to save up to £750 a year compared to petrol if they mostly charge at home.

The average range of a new electric car is now 236 miles – that's about two weeks of driving for most people – all the while emitting just 1/3 of the greenhouse emissions of a petrol car during its lifetime.

With 24/7 helplines, contactless payments, and up-to-date public chargepoint locations, charging has now become easier than ever.

Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect, said: 

“We are delighted that our collaboration with local authorities has resulted in a significant funding boost for electric vehicle infrastructure across the region. 

“This is a great step in moving towards a reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure network across the Midlands, which will become increasingly important as we move closer to the 2035 ban of diesel and petrol vehicles.

“We will continue to work with local authorities to accelerate the roll-out of electric vehicle infrastructure across the Midlands.”

Councillor Marc Bayliss, Worcestershire County Council's Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said:

“I'm pleased that Worcestershire, alongside other local authorities, has been successful in this bid for significant funding towards boosting electric vehicle infrastructure.

“It's hoped, that installing more public charge points , will not only support those who already have an electric vehicle, but also encourage others to make the move towards purchasing one.”

Notes to editors

• The £381m Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund supports local authorities in England to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking.
• The funding backed by substantial private investment, will support the installation of at least 100,000 local chargepoints across England, ensuring the rollout continues at pace to support drivers in every part of the country and give EV drivers confidence that they are never too far away from a chargepoint.
• The approved projects consist of three groups comprising 13 local authorities:

These projects have received a combined total of £40,817,000 LEVI capital funding and aim to install between at least 16,000 chargers across the consortium.