for more public chargepoints

Local authorities will benefit from £56m in public and industry funding for increasing electric vehicle chargepoints.

The funding will expand the current Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot and boost the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS).

In total, £22m of government funding for the pilot areas is supported by an additional £17m of private funding, and £2m from public funds across local authorities.

The UK government estimates the funding will see a further 2,400 chargepoints installed.

The grants will also help councils across England secure dedicated resource to develop in-house expertise and capability to coordinate chargepoint plans and work with private operators –delivering a more comprehensive and reliable network of chargepoints for drivers.

Technology and decarbonisation transport minister Jesse Norman said: “The government is giving local authorities across England additional help today to energise their chargepoint roll-out plans. Today’s 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.”

In addition to expanding the pilot scheme, today also sees the launch of the £8m LEVI Capability Fund, which will equip local authorities with the skills and ambition to scale up their plans when it comes to their charging strategy.

The funding will help local authorities work with private business and chargepoint operators to drive the sustainable growth of local networks, building and utilising their collective knowledge and expertise to deliver the most ambitious chargepoint plans for their area.

The government is also bringing forward a further £7m funding for the existing On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, bringing the total funding this year to £37m. Three thousand chargepoints have already been installed under ORCS with a further 10,000 in the pipeline.

‘Drop-in fuels’ have a future, say MPs

The committee reiterates another recommendation from its previous report, that government should instead use some of its Rapid Charging Fund to bolster grid capacity in order to facilitate wider use of EV chargepoints in isolated areas. The committee believes the government’s commitment to EVs should not come at the expense of continuing to explore the potential of alternative ‘drop in’ synthetic fuels and biofuels as a lowcarbon option for cars and other transport modes. Enabling greater access to alternative fuels could prove a socially equitable option for motorists, rather than necessitating purchases of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

The committee also believes that greater investment in sustainable fuels could mitigate the risks of EV battery production or grid capacity being insufficient and would cater for conventional vehicles that will remain on the road past the point at which sales of new conventional-engine cars will be banned.

Compared with cars, HGVs pose a challenge as they are heavier and travel longer distances, making frequent recharging of batteries impractical.

The MPs note the UK was the first country in the world to commit to phasing out new, non-zero-emission HGVs weighing 26 tonnes or less by 2035, with all new models sold in the UK to be zero emission by 2040.

Commercial sector needs a boost

Infrastructure spending needs to support business, says Denise Beedall of Logistics UK

The £56m funding announced by government to increase the provision of EV chargepoints must create provision for commercial vehicles, according to business group Logistics UK, if the industry is to hasten its transfer to net zero.

Figures released in October 2022 by the Department for Transport showed the total number of public EV chargepoints in the UK reached 34,637. However, the UK Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy report, published in 2022, notes that government has predicted the UK will require at least 300,000 chargepoints by 2030.

So, while this funding – which will be used to expand the current Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot and deliver an additional 2,400 chargepoints to the 3,000 chargepoint already installed through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) – is a much-needed step forwards on the route to net zero, the charging

Denise Beedall

requirements of the commercial vehicle sector must be factored into any developments.

Local authorities must ensure that any new public EV chargepoint installation and infrastructure provides adequate electric vehicle charging infrastructure with sufficient space for use by commercial vehicles. An immediate uplift in the number of public chargepoints that can be used by battery electric vans and a recognition of the future needs of battery electric trucks, is vital to give the logistics sector the confidence to invest in zero-emission at the tailpipe.