Friday 25 March 2022

Government pushes the button on tenfold expansion in EV chargers by 2030

Government pushes the button on tenfold expansion in EV chargers by 2030

The government has committed to increasing public electric vehicle (EV) chargers to 300,000 by 2030.

The scheme will be backed by £1.6 billion of funding - nearly £500 million will be allocated to the development of "competitively priced" public chargepoints to communities across the UK.

Yesterday, the SMMT called for a "holistic strategy" with binding targets on EV chargepoint infrastructure.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We’re powering ahead with plans to help British people go electric, with our expanding charging network making journeys easier right across the country.

"Clean transport isn’t just better for the environment, but is another way we can drive down our dependence on external energy supplies. It will also create new high-skilled jobs for our automotive and energy sectors and ultimately secure more sustainable and affordable motoring for all."

In response to the government's announcement, Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Zap-Map, said: "EV charging infrastructure is already growing at around 60% year-on-year in the two key areas of ultra-rapid charging and on-street provision, but it isn't equally distributed.

"Some areas of the country covered better than others - Scotland and London far more so than Wales and Northern Ireland, for example."

Jacob Roberts, Transport Policy Manager at the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology, said: "By 2030, the government expects around 300,000 public chargepoints will be needed to enable the transition to EVs – and we believe that this can be achieved, with this rapidly expanding industry having delivered 37% growth in chargepoint numbers in the last year alone.

“This growth can only be maintained, however, if the investment can be mobilised at pace."

Fiona Howarth, Chief Executive Officer of Octopus Electric Vehicles, commented: "It's great to see support for a broad range of reliable charging - from high speed convenient rapids for topping up on longer journeys; to affordable local charging for regular use.

"The reality is that most people won't use rapid chargers often - alternatively using home, workplace, kerbside and community charging that cost as little as £5 to fill up, instead of up to £40 at a rapid.

"But having an increasing base of reliable rapid chargers will continue to build confidence and encourage more people to make the switch to clean, green driving."

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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