The UK government will increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations tenfold by 2030, boosting its strategic electric vehicle infrastructure fund by an additional £450 million.
The investment is part of the government’s £1.6 billion electric vehicle infrastructure strategy. It will increase the total number of charging points in the UK to 300,000 by 2030, which the government says is five times the number of fuel pumps in the UK today.
Around £500million will go towards installing ‘high quality and competitively priced’ public charging stations across the UK, a figure which includes the introduction of an electric vehicle infrastructure fund premises (LEVI) of £450m for street charging and hubs.
Meanwhile, £950million has been earmarked for installing 6,000 fast-charging stations along Britain’s motorway network.
A further £50m will be used to fund staff who will research local electric vehicle challenges and planning for charging points, so that future developments can complement other methods of travel, including cycling and walking.
The Department for Transport has said local authorities can bid for a £10million share, which could support more remote areas and allow them to ‘work with industry and increase public charging opportunities’ .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We are moving forward with plans to help Britons go electric, with our expanding charging network making it easier to get around the country.
“Clean transport is not only better for the environment, it is also another way to reduce our dependence on external energy supplies. It will also create new, highly skilled jobs for our automotive and energy sectors, and ultimately ensure a more sustainable and affordable automobile for everyone.
The plans also provide for an increased level of accessibility for charging stations. Operators will be required to accept contactless payments and provide real-time data so drivers can check a charger’s status.
Additionally, fast chargers will also require a 99% reliability rating, which the DfT says will “help eradicate so-called range anxiety.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “No matter where you live – whether it’s a city center or a rural village, the north, the south, the east or the west of the country – we activate the transition to electricity and ensure that no one be left behind in the process.
“The scale of the climate challenge facing us all is well known and decarbonizing transport is at the very heart of our agenda… That is why we are ensuring that the country is electric-vehicle-ready for future generations of people. by the end of this decade, by revolutionizing our charging network and putting the consumer first.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-25 09:59:37