Ofgem has invested £300 million into expanding the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network to accelerate our low carbon future.
The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has allocated funding to install 1,800 new electric vehicle (EV) charge points across motorway service stations and key trunk road spots.
This investment will triple the UK’s current charging network, Ofgem highlighted. At the same time, an additional 1,750 charge points will be funded across towns and cities.
A further £4 billion will come over the next seven years, to supply the considerable upgrade the UK charging infrastructure requires to support the 2030 deadline for car manufacturers to switch to electric cars and vans.
Transport minister Rachel Maclean stated: ‘With more than 500,000 electric cars now on UK roads, this will help to increase this number even further as drivers continue to make the switch to cleaner, greener vehicles.’
Although the electric car segment is the fastest growing in the automotive industry, Ofgem research suggests 36 per cent of motorists will not switch to electric due ‘range anxiety’ caused by the lack of charge points around their home.
The majority of existing electric vehicle drivers rely on home charging, as the roll out of public charging infrastructure remains too slow. A report by the Policy Exchange think-tank reveals that the UK requires 400,000 public chargers by 2030, an increase form the existing 35,000.
The Ofgem investment will attempt to address this by contributing to a network of motorway charge points, as well as establishing infrastructure in rural areas.
Ofgem Chief Executive Jonathan Brearley commented: ‘This £300 million down payment is just the start of building back a greener energy network which will see well over £40 billion of investment in Britain’s energy networks in the next seven years.’
‘In the year that Glasgow hosts the COP26 climate summit, the energy networks are rising to challenge and working with us and partners to accelerate projects can start now, benefiting consumers, boosting the economy and creating jobs.’
Photo Credit: Kãrlis Dambrãns / Flickr
