The Government has launched a £70m pilot scheme that will “power up” motorway service areas to pave the way for ultra-rapid electric vehicle charge points.

The funding will boost the number of ultra-rapid charge points at motorway services and spark private investment

Announced by Transport Secretary Mark Harper at COP28’s Transport Day, along with a US–UK green shipping pledge, the trial is part of the long-awaited Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) and is accompanied by a consultation on how best to design the RCF.

The initial investment targets 10 trial sites in England with boosted electrical network capacity that will ensure the sites are future-proofed for at least 10 years, to 2035.

The Government said the trials would boost the number of ultra-rapid charge points at motorway services and spark private investment.

The RCF will cover a portion of the costs of upgrading the electricity grid at successful motorway service areas (MSAs), ensuring that the private sector can continue to expand the charging network and giving consumers more confidence to choose EVs.

The pilot, which is being delivered by National Highways, will help gather evidence to inform the design of a full fund.

The Department for Transport has also launched a 10-week consultation seeking views from a range of stakeholders, including charge point operators, motorway service area operators, and electricity suppliers, on where chargers are needed most and how best to design the Rapid Charging Fund.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “This Government is on the side of drivers and working with the private sector to provide robust charge point infrastructure is part of our Plan for Drivers, with today’s announcement paving the way for more ultra-rapid charge points.

“This £70m pilot scheme is the starting point and sends a message to consumers and industry that we are investing wisely and rapidly to grow the future of transport in the UK.”

Technology and decarbonisation minister Anthony Browne said: “This is an important next step in our journey to net zero, and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to help the private sector expand our charging network.

“The scheme follows our world-leading zero emission vehicle mandate, meaning we are truly supporting drivers and industry in making the switch to electric.”

In its statement, the Government recognised the strategic importance of motorway service areas “as regularly spaced stopping points along the motorway” and said investment would address “the need for a highly visible and dependable longer-distance charging network to support drivers and to accelerate future EV purchases”.

The announcement comes on the back of rising calls for the Rapid Charging Fund to open more than three years after it announced.

The RCF was first pledged in the March 2020 Budget but there had been concerns from the Competition and Markets Authority that the subsidies could distort competition between motorway service area operators, which led to a report published in June. The watchdog has since warned charge point operators not to breach competition laws and not to enforce exclusivity deals at any MSA site granted funding.

Earlier this week, Cornwall Insight called for action on crucial support programmes such as the Rapid Charging Fund as it warned that the UK was falling behind in the EV transition. The consultancy firm had also said that the looming threat of new trade tariffs for EVs would impact the switch – although the EU is now working to avert these with a three-year delay.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “In terms of getting drivers to switch to battery-electric cars much depends on the nation’s charging infrastructure being plentiful and reliable, especially at key locations like motorway services. New chargers are being installed all the time, but roll-out speeds need to increase drastically to keep up with demand.

“However, our understanding is that it’s not for a lack of industry wanting to install new chargers – the problem charge point and motorway service operators are finding is that it takes too long to connect units to the high-powered electricity network. We hope this money, which is from the Rapid Charging Fund announced by the Prime Minister more than three years ago, goes some way towards changing that.”