The Government has unveiled its long-awaited EV Infrastructure Strategy, pledging to increase the UK’s EV charge points 10-fold.

The government plans will support the UK market to reach 300,000 public EV charge points by 2030 – equivalent to almost five times the number of fuel pumps on our roads today

The plans reinforce the Government’s aim to expand the UK’s charging network, so that it is “robust, fair and covers the entire country” – as well as improving the consumer experience at all charge points, with significant support focused on those without access to off-street parking, and on fast charging for longer journeys.

The strategy – which follows a cross-industry report earlier this calling for a 10-fold increase in charge points – is supported by a £1.6bn investment in charging infrastructure pledged in part when the 2030 ban was announced and is expected to remove the key barriers to EV driving by making charging easier and cheaper than refuelling a petrol or diesel car.

Today’s announcements include a £500m investment to bring high quality, competitively priced public charge points to communities across the UK. This includes a new £450m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund for local authorities to use to expand charge point provision in their area. The other £50m will be used to fund staff to work on local challenges and public charge point planning.

A pilot scheme for the LEVI fund launching today will see local authorities bid for a share of £10m in funding, allowing selected areas to work with industry and boost public charging opportunities.

Alongside this, the existing £950m Rapid Charging Fund will support the rollout of at least 6,000 high-powered super-fast charge points across England’s motorways by 2035, bringing access to rapid and ultra-rapid public chargers.

Meanwhile, based on driver feedback and a CMA consultation, new legal requirements on operators will see drivers of EVs able to pay by contactless, compare charging prices and find nearby charge points via apps. And rapid charge point operators will be mandated on a 99% reliability rate to help eradicate so-called ‘range anxiety’. Ministers have already pledged to continue addressing any barriers to private sector rollout of charge points, such as local councils delaying planning permission and high connection costs.

The plans come as the private sector also ramps up charging investment; including BP Pulse’s announcement today of a £1bn investment in ultra-fast charging. Charge point operators have already committed to installing an additional 15,000 rapid charge points across England’s entire road network – a quadrupling of the current offer – and over 100,000 on-street charge points by 2025.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The scale of the climate challenge ahead of us all is well known and decarbonising transport is at the very heart of our agenda.

“That’s why we’re ensuring the country is EV-fit for future generations by the end of this decade, revolutionising our charging network and putting the consumer first.”

The Government also highlighted how the strategy would support wider government plans to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports of foreign oil.

Alongside the strategy, the Government is additionally launching an automotive roadmap outlining joint government and industry commitments to achieve the decarbonisation of road transport. The roadmap brings together the Government’s policies designed to help and support the automotive sector in the shift towards greener transport and will help businesses plan more effectively in the transition to a zero-emission future.

The industry reaction

The BVRLA welcomed the new strategy, which it said addresses many of the key concerns facing charge point users and will help underpin the seismic shift to zero-emission road transport.

Chief executive Gerry Keaney said: “This strategy is a major step forward that will give greater confidence to the millions of road users that need to make the switch to electric over the next decade. The recognition for the mix of different charging solutions is crucial. It is not simply about having more chargers, we need the right solutions, placed strategically to be accessible to all drivers.”

But he also called for a similarly comprehensive approach to be taken in addressing the infrastructure needs of fleets, particularly those that operate commercial vehicles.

“We know that the Government and officials are keen to learn about and support fleets with their infrastructure challenges. As a sector that buys and operates more than 50% of EVs in the UK, we would like to see these priorities acknowledged, with more consideration given to appropriate support and interventions,” he added.

“The BVRLA’s Fleet Charging Guide was launched last month and highlights a number of the gaps left by the EV Infrastructure Strategy. We have particular concerns around charge point accessibility for commercial vehicles and believe that the Government needs to start planning for HGV-compatible infrastructure as soon as possible.”

And while Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and COO, Zap-Map, said the strategy would help address the current ‘postcode lottery’ on access to charge points – she added that we should focus not on the overall number of charge points but on the nature and location of provision.

“As more drivers make the switch to electric, fewer proportionally will have home chargers and as a result be reliant on the public network for day-to-day charging. This is where the local charging initiatives are critical, whether this is low-powered on-street provision for overnight charging or local charging hubs. In parallel, the en-route rapid charging network needs to continue to grow with a greater number of charge points at each location, to provide high-speed, reliable charging for all.”

The SMMT also said that focus must be given to expanding public on-street and destination charging provision.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, commented: “Every stakeholder will have to play their part in this transition but, if industry and consumers are to have the certainty they need to invest, commensurate and binding targets must be set for infrastructure provision. Deployed nationally and at pace, this expansion would give drivers confidence they will be able to charge as easily as they would refuel, wherever they are.”

In its feedback, the AA said that the Government does appear to recognise that ease of use, reliability, slow roll-out for those without home charging and improving charging on motorways, are all essential. But president Edmund King continued: “We would like to see urgent action in all of these areas, plus we have also called for more focus on charging solutions in rural locations, improvements to the customer experience in terms of safety at charge points in dark, isolated areas and accessibility for disabled drivers.”

Increased focus on local authorities

While there has been some criticism that the Government has passed the buck to local authorities, as opposed to rolling out a coordinated national strategy, the move has actually been welcomed by the Local Government Association (LGA).

Councillor David Renard, LGA transport spokesperson, said: “Councils are best-placed to ensure charge points are delivered in the right places and avoiding inappropriate or poor siting. All councils need to benefit and have full flexibility to maximise the impact of the funding.”

Highlighting that councils are determined to tackle climate change and are already supporting the transition to electric vehicles, he continued: “This funding is a significant boost to those efforts which will help secure staffing and resources to better plan and invest in local charge point networks, in partnership with commercial operators. It will also help ensure that there is access where it is needed, in particular for those without access to off-street parking.”

But Cllr Renard added: “While funding is one barrier to progress, we await details as to how the Government intends to deal with other obstacles such as high costs of connection points to the electric grid, and access to expertise.”

Mike Peirce, director of corporate partnerships at international non-profit, Climate Group, also said that encouraging delivery by local authorities, alongside measures to address reliability and interoperability, was the right approach.

“These are issues that are consistently raised by members of the UK Electric Fleets Coalition, and EV100 members, and the announcement today should help address these concerns.”

Meanwhile, Connected Kerb – which has previously said that councils are struggling with the time and resources to address charging – said that for on-street charging, councils are in a unique position to facilitate the mass rollout of EV chargers to support their residents without access to off-street parking.

CEO Chris Pateman-Jones stated: “By partnering with independent charge point operators, councils can unlock the private investment needed to accelerate the deployment of chargers at the scale required to meet the UK’s charging needs.”

He also added that the strategy means the work is on for the charging industry at large  to ramp up the deployment of chargers in towns, villages, cities and across motorway networks, “to ensure that no one gets left behind in the EV transition and that all drivers are supported with convenient, reliable and affordable charging solutions”.