The Government has announced additional funds for chargepoints on residential streets.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced an additional £2.5 million to fund the installation of over 1,000 new chargepoints. The allocation of funding for on-street residential chargepoints is part of the £1.5 billion investment underpinned by the Road to Zero Strategy.
The Transport Secretary said that ‘It’s vital that electric vehicle drivers feel confident about the availability of chargepoints near their homes, and that charging an electric car is seen as easy as plugging in a smartphone’.
Additionally, in July, the Government announced that all newly installed rapid and higher powered chargepoints should provide debit or credit card payment by spring 2020.
The additional funds represent a step in the right direction, but it is vital that the Government continues to invest to improve the charging infrastructure currently available.
The findings of our latest Consumer Attitude Survey suggested that ‘access to charging’ still represents a barrier to buying an electric vehicle for 53% of consumers. The charging process needs to become as straightforward as possible to give consumers the confidence to own an electric car.
NFDA will continue to liaise with the Government to support the development of the electric vehicle market through coordinated efforts where industry and sector stakeholders collaborate as in our Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) accreditation scheme.
