Charging infrastructure investment encouraged by government

The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has recently taken it upon himself to write to local councils and urge them to utilise the funding which the Government has made available to them for the establishment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

These recent urges by the British Government following the announcement of the £400M Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund as well as the publication of a league table detailing the best performing local authorities for establishing charging infrastructure.

Said league table identified London as the best performing area in regard to electric vehicle charging points, with Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, and Milton Keynes likewise performing admirably.

Secretary Shapps stated: “Your postcode should play no part in how easy it is to use an electric car, and I am determined electric vehicles become the new normal for drivers.

“It is good news there are now more charging locations than petrol stations, but the clear gaps in provision are disappointing. I urge local councils to take advantage of all the government support on offer to help ensure drivers in their area don’t miss out.

“To help increase the provision of charging locations, the government is offering grants for the installation of chargepoints on the street, in work and at home. We are also offering grants to lower the upfront cost of these cars so everyone is able to experience the benefits.”

The Minister for the Future of Transport, George Freeman added: “Mapping chargepoints and producing a league table of availability by council area is intended to raise awareness.

“There are now more than 22,500 public chargepoints and at least one rapid charge point at over 95 per cent of all motorway services areas.

“To help level up the country, we have recently doubled the funding available for councils to build chargepoints on residential streets.”

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