In a move to move to boost the use of electric vehicles (EV), the UK government has announced an additional £2.5 million (Rs 21 crore) for local authorities to install EV charging points in residential areas.
According to Autocarpro.in, the country’s transport secretary, Grant Shapps, has announced an additional £2.5 million in funding towards the installation of EV charging infrastructure. The funds will be used to install over 1,000 new street-side charging points on roads around the country. This will bring the UK government’s total outlay in the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme to £5m (Rs 42 crore).
The Transport secretary Grant Shapps said, “It’s fantastic that there are now more than 20,000 publicly accessible charge points and double the number of electric vehicle charge points than petrol stations, but we want to do much more. It’s vital that electric vehicle drivers feel confident about the availability of charge points near their homes, and that charging an electric car is seen as easy as plugging in a smartphone.”
The charge points can be built into existing structures such as lampposts, and are aimed at providing access to charging infrastructure near the homes of people without off-street parking. The money will support the on-street residential charge point scheme, launched in 2017. This scheme was launched by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). The OLEV had also invited local authorities around the country to apply for up to £100,000 (Rs 85 lakh) of the original £2.5m (Rs 21 crore) to improve EV infrastructure in areas with no off-street parking.
The country’s government says that the investment will help enable the UK’s transition to net-zero by 2050. Residential charging points are particularly important for people in London and other cities, as many urban homes don’t have access to their own driveways or garages.
