Funding For Electric Car Charge Points Will Double Next Year
Government funding for electric car charge points is set to double in 2021, reaching £10 million a year. This is part of a broader plan to render the vehicles “the new normal”…
Funding And More For Charge Points
The government has announced that it’ll be doubling funding for charge points for electric vehicles; meaning it’ll be spending £10 million on them annually. It’s also working to allow motorists access to real-time data, showing when individual chargers are in use and when they’re free. Local authorities are being encouraged to make use of the funding; which the government claims is sufficient for 3,600 extra public chargers. The plan aims to encourage the adoption of EVs amongst drivers without access to off-street parking in particular.
Making real-time data available with be a first for the country. Currently, the Department for Transport is exploring how it’d work. But the long-term goal would be to show drivers which charge points are functional and which are already in use. This would eliminate wasted journeys and, hopefully, inspire consumer confidence in their ability to locate charging infrastructure. Future of Transport minister George Freeman stressed the importance of data-sharing. He said, “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”. He continued, “comprehensive charge point data is crucial for mapping charging hotspots and notspots for consumers, to help to drive forward the electric vehicle revolution”.
‘The New Normal’
Grant Shapps. the transport secretary, emphasised the government’s commitment to electric vehicles. He said, “we want to make electric cars the new normal, and ensuring drivers have convenient places to charge is key to that”. He added, “by doubling funding again for charge points on streets where people live and opening up data we are helping drivers easily locate and use affordable, reliable charge points whether at home or on the road”. Currently, there are around 24,000 public charge points dotted throughout the UK. Of these, some 2,400 are rapid chargers.
However, a report by London-based consultancy Capital Economics suggests that there’s a very long way to go. It claims that the country will need to spend £240 billion in installing 4,000 charge points a day if it’s to ensure it meets its target of net-zero by 2050. That’s not all though, it claims another £48.5 billion will be needed to sufficiently upgrade the power grid so that it can cope with the jump in demand. These figures make the ‘doubling’ of funding look like a drop in the ocean; and illustrate just how challenging the move towards low-emission transport is going to be. Ultimately, then, expect the situation to improve and not a revolution just yet.
Future Charge Points Won’t Require A Subscription – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/future-chargepoints-no-subscription/
Lack of Charging Points Slows Down Switch to Electric Cars – https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/lack-of-charging-points-slows-down-switch-to-electric-cars-2/
