Initial details on the Government’s new £25m grant for cross-pavement charging solutions are now out ahead of the launch of the scheme in the coming weeks.

Part of a £63m package announced by the Department for Transport (DfT) earlier this month, the Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant will support home charging for households without driveways, making electric vehicle adoption easier for residents in England.

The new local authority fund will scale up the transition to electric vehicles. Cross-pavement charging solutions enable residents who don’t have off-street parking to charge electric vehicles at home without trailing charging cables across the pavement. Also known as cable gullies, these usually take the form of enclosed channels in the pavement that safely fit the charging cable. This enables access to cheaper household EV charging rates, with a potential saving of up to £1,500 a year compared to running a petrol or diesel car.

Local authorities will be able to apply for EV pavement charging funding and benefit from this grant later this year.

The fund will be provided by the DfT, with support from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) support body – Energy Saving Trust, PA Consulting and Cenex – who provide guidance and support to all local authorities to help deliver EV infrastructure nationwide.

Hugh Pickerill, programme manager for EV Grants and Infrastructure at Energy Saving Trust, said: “The EVPC grant is a welcome complement to existing funding schemes, such as the LEVI scheme, helping residents without access to off-street parking make the switch to an electric vehicle. We look forward to providing further guidance and supporting local authorities in delivering this grant across the country.”

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “We’re making it easier and cheaper to own an electric vehicle, and our £25m boost to make home charging easier will unlock savings of up to £1,500 a year for motorists compared to driving petrol or diesel.

“This is on top of over 82,000 public charge points already available in the UK – with one added every half an hour – and we’re investing over £4bn to help drivers and industry switch to EVs, supporting jobs and driving investment to help deliver our Plan for Change.”

Further details on the application process and timings for the Pavement Channels Grant will be made available to local authorities soon.