- Today, the Department for Transport has announced more funding under its Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, which will help authorities, homeowners, and renters to charge their EVs.
- This funding should add a few thousand charging points to the UK’s network of around 56,983 public chargepoints, a figure which has increased by 47% since this time last year.
- The new funding should convince even more UK drivers to make the switch to EV.
More public chargers for the UK
Under the new changes, the EV chargepoint grant, which offers 75% off of installation costs up to a maximum of £350, will now also be available to owners and renters without a driveway, provided they have access to adequate street parking. This grant will bring down the cost of pavement charging solutions such as Kerbo Charge, as the firm’s solution continues to get approval from an increasing number of local authorities across the country.
The government also today announced a new Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Forum, which will bring together ministers and the President of the AA, Edmund King. This will discuss barriers to EV adoption and review ways to increase growth of the country’s charging infrastructure.
These grants will be essential for ensuring that the UK can stay committed to a 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars. Combine these with the fact that you can now buy a fully electric family hatchback for just £14,995, and EV accessibility should skyrocket. Over in the US, Illinois is being similarly generous with charging grants, with another $50m announced to create more EV chargers in the state.
Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Anthony Browne, commented:
“This Government has a plan to help speed up the installation of EV chargepoints, which we’re getting on and delivering… This dedicated funding to local councils is part of our plan to ensure people can switch from a petrol or diesel car to an EV when they choose to do so.”
