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Funding for electric car charge points unused by UK councils

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UK Transport Minister Jesse Norman and Climate Change Minister Claire Perry have called for local authorities to do more to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle air quality after it emerged just five councils in the whole of the UK have taken advantage of an electric car scheme.

In 2016 the UK Department for Transport launched the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, offering local authorities up to 75% of the cost of procuring and installing electric car charge points. The remaining costs can be funded through public and private sources.

Norman says: ‘We are in the early stages of an electric revolution in the UK transport sector, and connectivity is at its heart. Millions of homes in the UK do not have off-street parking, so this funding is important to help local councils ensure that all their residents can take advantage of this revolution.’

Charge points can be anything from new points popping up on streets to adapting existing lamp-posts to make the best use of space. The money has been available since 2016 but so far only five councils have come forward, so there is £4.5mn still available for them – enough for thousands of extra points.

With a host of different support schemes for electric vehicles announced in the Autumn Statement, including a Charging Investment Infrastructure Fund to accelerate the roll out of charging infrastructure, and more money to help people buy electric cars, the on-street scheme is an important part of the toolkit. Around a third of homes in England do not have off-street parking, making it extremely difficult to charge an electric vehicle overnight. As a result, on-street charge points like those being offered through this scheme have the potential to entice drivers to switch to electric.

The number of electric vehicles bought in the UK was up nearly 30% last year, and having committed to ending the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040, the government needs to make sure the right infrastructure is in place to support drivers.

As noted, a set of schemes for electric vehicles were announced in the Autumn Budget in November 2017, including a further £100mn to help consumers purchasing electric vehicles. More recently, the government announced on 12 January the extension of current grant rates for both the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, and Plug-in Car Grant, which provides up to £4,500 to help motorists make the switch to electric.

Photo: Shell

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