- 13 councils across the UK’s East Midlands are set to share £40.8 million worth of government funding, to help install over 16,000 more public EV charging points across the region.
- The funding has come from central government’s £450 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, which aims to continue improving EV infrastructure across the nation.
- The new chargers are set to be installed over a five year period, coinciding closely with the UK’s 2030 ban on the sale of new pure petrol and diesel cars.
East Midlands to receive another 16,000 public chargers
The funding was secured by two Midlands consortiums, along with additional collaboration from Midlands Connect. The boost to public charging infrastructure will be particularly welcome to the East Midlands area, with around 31% of residents having no access to off-street parking. Nationally, that figure stands at around 40%. East Midlands also currently lags behind other UK regions when it comes to public charger count, as seen in Zapmap’s data. Currently, the region has 3,245 public charge points in place – highlighting the significance of this new funding.
Public charging is just one part of the solution for prospective EV owners unable to charge on a driveway. On-street private charging solutions, such as Kerbo Charge and Nodum, are also set to contribute to driving EV adoption in more urban areas.
Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, commented:
“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.”
Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect, added:
“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.”
