Forty-four more councils across England will benefit from funding to boost chargepoint rollout. The money is part of the £381m Local Electric Vehicle (LEVI) fund to roll out chargepoints across the country.
Following the approval of the first five local authority applications in February, payments to 44 additional councils from Torbay to Tees Valley, worth over £185m, have now been approved.
In addition, the local authorities that have been allocated to the second round of LEVI funding will be able to apply for it from April 2.
The government says this dedicated funding to local councils is part of its plan to ensure people can switch from a petrol or diesel car to an EV when they choose to do so.
To further support drivers to switch to electric, the government says households without driveways or dedicated parking spaces but with access to adequate street parking can access an EV chargepoint £350 grant via its Plan for Drivers scheme.
It says the funding will drive down the cost of EV ownership by providing up to 75% off the cost of purchasing and installing a chargepoint. However, applicants must have permission from their council to install a cross-pavement charging solution.
Meanwhile, to help councils deliver EV infrastructure, the government-funded EV infrastructure training course has just launched following a successful trial. The course is open to all local authorities and covers key topics from technology to procurement. LEVI funding has already helped place almost 150 dedicated EV officers in councils to support chargepoint planning and delivery.
In addition, a new collaboration between government and industry has been launched called the EV Infrastructure Forum. The forum, chaired by ministers and AA president, Edmund King, will discuss how best to tackle barriers and accelerate the delivery of charging infrastructure. Wider membership will be set out in due course.
