The UK government has released funding to enable the installation of more than 1,000 residential EV charging points.
The £2.5m (€2.7m) funding will be made available through the ongoing On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, which aims to increase electric vehicle (EV) uptake across the UK by providing access to residential EV charging facilities for residents who do not have access to off-street parking. The scheme, launched in 2017, supports local and municipal authorities in building EV chargepoints into existing infrastructure, such as lampposts: the UK has seen an increase in electric vehicles of more than 158% in the last year; and it is hoped that uptake will continue to grow as charging electric vehicles at home becomes more convenient.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “It’s fantastic that there are now more than 20,000 publicly accessible chargepoints and double the number of electric vehicle chargepoints than petrol stations, but we want to do much more. It’s vital that electric vehicle drivers feel confident about the availability of chargepoints near their homes, and that charging an electric car is seen as easy as plugging in a smartphone. That’s why we are now doubling the funding available for local authorities to continue building the infrastructure we need to supercharge the zero-emission revolution right across the country.”
The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme has already enabled 16 local authorities to install 1,200 residential EV charging points this year, with funding provided through the wide-ranging Road to Zero Strategy, which provides support and investment to initiatives for reducing transport emissions. The UK has declared its intention to address the climate emergency by working towards cutting its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, with new vehicles powered by fossil fuels to be phased out entirely by 2040; concurrently, the e-mobility industry is projected to reach 200% growth in the UK in the next three years.
