The UK government has committed 1.6 billion GBP of taxpayer money to improve the country’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network for drivers.
The 1.6 billion GBP investment from the government’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy aims to ensure that it becomes easier and cheaper to charge electric vehicles, rather than refuel a petrol or diesel car. This investment will support the government’s aim of providing 300,000 public chargepoints by 2030, which is equivalent to almost 5 times the current number of fuel pumps.
In addition, new legal requirements for operators will allow EV drivers to pay by contactless card, compare charging prices and find all nearby chargepoints through mobile applications.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:We’re powering ahead with plans to help British people go electric, with our expanding charging network making journeys easier right across the country. Clean transport isn’t just better for the environment, but is another way we can drive down our dependence on external energy supplies. It will also create new high-skilled jobs for our automotive and energy sectors and ultimately secure more sustainable and affordable motoring for all.
The new strategy will expand the UK’s charging network and ensure it covers the entire country. The strategy will also improve drivers’ experience at the chargepoints, with a specific focus on drivers who park on the public highway, and on fast charging for longer journeys.
500 million GBP will be invested to bring “high-quality, competitively priced” public chargepoints to towns and cities across the UK. This includes a 450 million GBP Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fund, which will aims to provide funds for projects such as EV hubs and on-street charging stations.
The existing 950 million GBP Rapid Charging Fund will support the installation of at least 6,000 high powered super-fast chargepoints across England’s motorways by 2035.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:No matter where you live – be that a city centre or rural village, the north, south, east or west of the country – we’re powering up the switch to electric and ensuring no one gets left behind in the process. The scale of the climate challenge ahead of us all is well known and decarbonising transport is at the very heart of our agenda. That’s why we’re ensuring the country is EV-fit for future generations by the end of this decade, revolutionising our charging network and putting the consumer first.
Alongside this government investment, bp pulse has announced its own plans to spend 1 billion GBP on developing charging infrastructure in the UK.
This investment aims to triple the number of public charging points in bp pulse’s UK network and accelerate the roll out of ultra-fast charging points, which provide EV drivers up to 100 miles of range from around 10 minutes of charging. bp pulse will also upgrade its current EV charging technology across the public charging network to improve its reliability.
Richard Bartlett, Senior Vice President, bp pulse, said:This £1 billion investment is vital to provide the charging infrastructure the UK needs. We’re investing to build a world-class network. This investment allows us to deliver more. More high-speed charging in dedicated hubs and on existing fuel and convenience sites. More home charging services. And crucial enhancements to our digital technology that will make charging fast, easy and reliable.
The UK government is launching an automotive roadmap to outline joint government and industry commitments that focus on switching to battery-powered road transport.
The roadmap brings together government policies that are designed to support the automotive sector and help businesses plan more effectively in this transition.
