Hospitals, stations and streets across the UK will see a wave of new chargepoints for electric cars, thanks to government funding.
In February the government announced an extra £37 million to offset the cost of installing infrastructure for recharging electric vehicles.
Business Minister Michael Fallon and Transport Minister Norman Baker announced the winning bids for the first round of this funding.
Money will be made available to dozens of local authorities, NHS trusts and train operators to provide charging points on their property and town and city streets.
Bids are also invited from train operators, local authorities and the wider public sector for the second round of funding. The closing date for bids to be submitted is the 30 October 2013.
This announcement comes hot on the heels of an extra £500 million being committed to drive forward the market for ultra low emission vehicles, as part of the government’s plans for roads reform published in July.
Transport Minister Norman Baker said:
“With hundreds of new chargepoints adding to the ever-expanding network of infrastructure, people will be able to recharge their cars at stations, in hospital car parks and on streets all over the country.
“This is brilliant news for those already using these vehicles and will give greater confidence to those who are considering making the switch to electric. With new models coming to market every month from major motor vehicle manufacturers and running costs of 2 pence to 3 pence a mile, these vehicles are an increasingly attractive option for many consumers and businesses.”
Business Minister Michael Fallon said:
“The automotive industry in the UK is a real success story. Four out of every 5 vehicles made here are exported and the sector supports many thousands of high-quality jobs across the country.
“We need to keep working with industry to maintain this momentum and secure its long-term success which is why we are supporting the transition to ultra low emission vehicles. As we set out in our automotive industrial strategy, there are huge opportunities for us from being a world-leader in these technologies.”
The coalition government will provide 75% of the cost of installing new chargepoints.
The £37 million funding for the package comes from the government’s existing £400 million commitment to increase the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles and is available until April 2015.
Later this year the Office for Low Emission Vehicles will be setting out in detail the government’s future strategy for this sector. There, they will outline the evidence to-date, what that means for the sector and how they’ll continue to grow this critical sector.
As of 30 June 2013, 4553 claims have been made through the plug-in car grant scheme and 310 claims have been made through the plug-in van grant scheme. This is the highest quarterly increase since the scheme began with an additional 920 cars ordered in the most recent quarter – a 30% increase on the previous highest quarter. Grant claims made in the first half of 2013 have already reached almost 75% of the total claims made in 2012. In turn, claims in 2012 for the plug-in car grant, which has been available since January 2011, were 2 and a half times higher than in 2011.
Source; Department for Transport
Sounds interesting, I wonder how many charging points are coming to Kent?
Kent County Council has one of the largest allocated grants at £237,000 between 2013-14 and a further £36,000 for 2014-15. This would be for standard charging points rather than rapid chargers but there’s no word yet on how many charging points will be installed.