FUNDING for more electric vehicle charging points has been announced by the government.

The extra cash is part of a series of new measures aimed at supporting the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) as part of the UK’s wider plans to transition towards net-zero.

A new £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund has been introduced, alongside an additional £15 million for the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS).
The funding will support the installation of tens of thousands of new chargers across the country, increasing EV infrastructure.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “Transport is one of the most important sectors for achieving net zero by 2050 and so we must accelerate our efforts to decarbonise how people get from A to B, while growing our economy and supporting thousands of green jobs.”

Alongside the funding, the Government has unveiled new proposals for a zero emission vehicle mandate.

From 2024, parliament will set minimum annual targets for the percentage of new car and van sales that must be zero emission.

The announcement comes as data showed almost 17% of new cars sold last year were zero emission.

Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Jesse Norman, said: “The government is doing more than ever to help the UK move away from petrol and diesel and towards electric vehicles.

“That means investing in charging infrastructure and giving a clear direction to manufacturers, so they can roll out new electric vehicles faster and more efficiently.

“Overall, the UK is leading the way in decarbonising transport, a sector that is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases.”

Previously, the Government committed to ending the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 – and from 2035, all new vehicles must be fully zero-emission.

Following the announcement, RAC electric vehicles spokesman Simon Williams, said: “Extra funding for charging infrastructure is welcome as we know around a third of all homes in the UK don’t have a driveway for a chargepoint to be installed, which makes switching to an electric vehicle less straightforward.

“With the Government imposing a mandate for zero-emission vehicle sales on manufacturers, it seems logical that this should be matched by targets for local authorities and charging networks to install a certain number of chargepoints, to meet demand from the expected increase in electric vehicles on the road.”