Government doubles funding for on-street charging

Government doubles funding for on-street charging

Posted by

Kevin Blackmore

January 2020

The Government plans to double the funding for residential, on-street charging for electric vehicles to £10 million next year, which could add another 3,600 charge points across the country.

The extra cash is to make charging at home and overnight easier for those without an off-street parking space and to charge up the EV revolution, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.

The new funding would ensure that postcode plays no part in how easy it is to use an electric car, the Government said.

At the same time, the Department for Transport (DfT) is looking at how to make information about all public charge points, including location and power ratings, readily available in a standard format for the first time.

The Government set up the National Chargepoint Register nine years ago, to provide an open-source of data for all publicly funded charge points, but now aims to ensure information on all public charge points is released, helping cut waiting times by showing which charge points are currently being used.

The DfT will look at how real-time information can be published, showing whether charge points are in working order, which could then be incorporated into sat navs and route mapping apps.

Simplicity and convenience is crucial

Shapps said that making sure charging an EV was a convenient and simple process was crucial to meeting the Government’s ambitions of phasing out petrol and diesel cars.

He explained: “We want to make electric cars the new normal, and ensuring drivers have convenient places to charge is key to that.

“By doubling funding for charge points on streets where people live and opening up data we are helping drivers easily locate and use affordable, reliable charge points whether at home or on the road.”

Government and industry have already supported the installation of more than 17,000 devices, providing 24,000-plus publicly available charge points, of which some 2,400 are rapid charge points.

UK charging infrastructure among the best

The UK now has one of the largest charging networks in Europe with more locations where you can charge your car than there are petrol stations.

Future of transport minister George Freeman said: “The new Government is accelerating UK leadership in digitalisation and decarbonisation through our future of transport strategy.

“Supporting the smart use of open data for new apps to help passengers and drivers plan journeys, and to reduce congestion and pollution, is key.

“Comprehensive charge point data is crucial for mapping charging hotspots and notspots for consumers, to help to drive forward the electric vehicle revolution.

“We urge local councils to make use of the funding available to ensure their residents feel the benefits of cleaner transport.”

The Government has already challenged the industry to provide debit and credit card payment at all newly installed rapid charge points and develop a roaming solution across the charging network, allowing EV drivers to use any public charge point through a single app or payment method.


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