£20m joint government and private funding to deliver over 1,000 EV chargepoints across England
Thu 25 August 2022
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Drivers will have better access to electric vehicle chargepoints as a result of a new pilot backed by £20 million of government and industry funding which is expected to deliver over 1,000 public chargepoints in selected areas across England.
Through the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, local authorities and industry are working together to create new, commercial EV charging infrastructure for residents, from faster on-street chargepoints to larger petrol station-style charging hubs.
The winners of the pilot fund are: Barnet; Dorset; Durham; Kent; Midlands Connect (with Lincolnshire as a lead authority); North Yorkshire; Nottinghamshire; Suffolk; Warrington.
The scheme will enable residents without private driveways to have better access to EV chargers, as well as growing the charging network across the country.
The pilot is backed by £10 million of government funding shared among the 9 winning local authorities in the first tranche of the planned £450 million scheme, with winning pilot bids supported by an additional £9 million in private funding. A further £1.9 million will come from public funds across local authorities.
Decarbonisation minister Trudy Harrison MP said: "We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV chargepoints, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel."
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: "We know that there are many drivers who do not have driveways or any form of off-street parking, so investing in streetside charging is an absolute necessity. Drivers can also look forward to the prospect of local charging hubs which will give them somewhere to quickly charge their vehicles without needing to drive any considerable distance. The goal must be to spark electric vehicle uptake by creating an excellent charging infrastructure that caters for everyone’s needs."
SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said the LEVI pilot funding is a welcome step that will give drivers in the winning areas greater confidence to make the switch to electric motoring. He added: “We need a universal right to charge electric vehicles, for all drivers, wherever they live, wherever they travel, and whatever their needs.”
The scheme will allow local authorities to provide feedback on how to grow the network and the role the private sector can play.
The new LEVI fund builds on the success of the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) which has seen nearly 2,900 chargepoints installed so far with funding provided for approaching 10,000 additional chargepoints in the future.
Following growing demand from local authorities, the Government also announced that a further £10 million in funding has been brought forward for this year, bringing this year’s ORCS funding to £30 million to help maintain ongoing installations.
Zemo member Trojan Energy is to provide chargepoints to one of the largest recipients of funding, Barnet, which will lead to the installation of over 500 charging points, designed to be flat-and-flush with the pavement (see image above). The chargepoints enable residents without driveways to charge their EVs easily and locally.
Barnet Council awarded a contract worth £4.65 million to Trojan Energy, to deliver the project (£3.5 million of which comes from government funding) to boost the number of chargepoints in the borough.
Trojan Energy’s unique chargepoints will be located across 34 of Barnet’s streets, and will be operational in phases by November 2022 and March 2023.
Further LEVI funding is expected be open for local authorities to apply for by the end of 2022.
Image: Courtesy Trojan Energy
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