The government has announced a major increase in funding to support the roll-out of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
A total of £56 million will be made available, with the aim of delivering 2,400 new EV charging points in the near-future.
The money will also help local authorities to plan for thousands more charging devices in the longer term.
The announcement follows analysis earlier this year that showed the UK was lagging behind its target to install 300,000 public electric car charge points by 2030.
Extra EV funding across the UK
The new funding will expand the existing Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, taking it from three to 16 local authority areas.
This includes £1.9 million for Cumbria, £2.5 million for Waltham Forest and a substantial £8.5 million committed to the West Midlands.
In total, £22 million from central government funding will be supported by £17 million from private initiatives. A further £2 million will come from public funds across the various local authorities.
A new £8 million LEVI Capability Fund will help local authorities to put in place the right staff and systems to plan for EV charging infrastructure.
Helping drivers switch to EVs
As part of the package of measures, the government has also committed £7 million to the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS).
This provides funding for local authorities to locate chargers in areas without off-street parking. Some 3,000 devices have already been installed through ORCS, with a further 10,000 on the way.
Transport minister for technology and decarbonisation, Jesse Norman, said: “The government is giving local authorities across England additional help today to energise their charge point roll-out plans.
“[This] commitment will lead to thousands of new chargers being installed, and plans for tens of thousands extra in due course, so that more people than ever can make the transition to using EVs.”
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