Government pledges £37 million to EV charging point infrastructure

The Government have unveiled a £37 million investment into UK engineering to transform the nation's electric vehicle charge point network.

Twelve projects are set to receive a share of the funding to support the creation of innovations including wireless charging technologies, to allow electric vehicles of the future to charge without the need to plug in a cable.

The move comes on the first anniversary of the Government's Road to Zero Strategy, which set out measures to clean up road transport and poise the UK to lead the work in developing, manufacturing and using zero emission road vehicles.

Among the schemes, Urban Foresight, a smart city consultancy, has been awarded over £3 million to roll out 'pop-up' chargers that are built into the pavement and provide a discreet, safe, and low-cost charging solution for electric vehicle drivers with no access to off-street parking.

Other projects to receive funding include a:

• renovation project, installing EV charge points in car parks to allow for mass charging at night;
• project leveraging existing Virgin Media physical and online infrastructure to deliver cost-effective and widespread charging, using high-speed internet connections to share information online on charging progress and parking spaces;
• storage and advance electronics project that will deliver semi-rapid charging using a low-power grid connection, minimising the need for costly substation upgrades.

Char.gy, an electric charging company, has also been awarded £2.3 million for wireless charging technology on residential streets without the need for trailing cables and additional infrastructure.

For more information on this subject, see:

• The Road to Zero.