Suburban electric vehicle charging network given £10million government boost
Charging and driving an electric vehicle in the neighbourhood where you live could become more convenient in the future, thanks to double the funding for more chargepoints on residential streets next year.
Included in the plans is also access to real-time information about places to charge electric cars.
Today, the Transport Secretary announced the government’s new funding plans, which will cost £10million for the installation of the much needed chargepoints on residential streets next year.
This could fund up to another 3,600 chargepoints across the country and make charging at home and overnight easier for those without an off-street parking space.
The move is welcomed by the taxi industry after TaxiPoint reported over forty percent of London’s cabbies will NEVER have capability to charge mandatory electric taxis from home.
The government is also looking at how to make information about all public chargepoints, including locations and power ratings, openly available in a standard format for the first time. The Department for Transport will look at how real-time information could be published, showing whether chargepoints are in working order and currently in use, which could then be used by developers and incorporated into sat-navs and route mapping apps.
Ensuring that charging an electric vehicle is a convenient and simple process is seen as crucial if the government's ambitions of phasing out petrol and diesel cars are to materialise.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We want to make electric cars the new normal, and ensuring drivers have convenient places to charge is key to that.
“By doubling funding again for chargepoints on streets where people live and opening up data we are helping drivers easily locate and use affordable, reliable chargepoints whether at home or on the road.”
Future of Transport Minister George Freeman said: “The new government is accelerating UK leadership in digitalisation and decarbonisation through our future of transport strategy.
“Supporting the smart use of open data for new apps to help passengers and drivers plan journeys, and to reduce congestion and pollution, is key.
“Comprehensive chargepoint data is crucial for mapping charging hotspots and notspots for consumers, to help to drive forward the electric vehicle revolution.
“We urge local councils to make use of the funding available to ensure their residents feel the benefits of cleaner transport.”
Government and industry have supported the installation of over 17,000 devices providing over 24,000 publicly available chargepoints, of which over 2,400 are rapid chargepoints. The UK now has one of the largest charging networks in Europe with more locations where you can charge your car than there are petrol stations.
