Electric vehicle (EV) owners who do not have off-street parking can now benefit from the Government’s charge point grant. The grant, valued at £350 and covering up to 75% of the expenses for buying and setting up a charge point, will now be extended to individuals who own or rent properties with suitable street parking access.

Electric vehicle drivers will need permission from their council to install a cross-pavement charging solution, and applications must be submitted online. Applicants don’t need to own an electric vehicle; electric company car drivers also qualify as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. This grant is available until the 31^st of March, 2025.

The grant extension is part of ‘the plan for drivers’ policy paper which aims to make EV ownership a more convenient option. The Government is still distributing its £381 million Local Electric Vehicle (LEVI) fund to councils which have the flexibility to decide on the optimal locations for installing chargepoints in their local area. After approving the initial five local authority applications in February, payments totalling over £185 million have been authorised to 44 councils.

Anthony Browne, Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, said: “This Government has a plan to help speed up the installation of EV charge points, which we’re getting on and delivering.’’

He also added: ‘’This dedicated funding to local councils is part of our plan to ensure people can switch from a petrol or diesel car to an EV when they choose to do so.”

The Government has also launched the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Forum to facilitate cooperation between government and industry stakeholders. The forum, led by ministers and the AA President Edmund King, will address strategies for overcoming obstacles and speeding up the implementation of charging infrastructure.

Edmund King, said: ‘’I’m proud to be co-chairing the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Forum as I’m committed to helping consumers transition to zero emission vehicles and an efficient, affordable, accessible charging infrastructure is key to that. I’m also confident that the UK’s brilliant charging and automotive industry can deliver and play a key part in the UK’s net zero ambitions.’’

Charging points across the UK

According to new figures from Zapmap, there were 59,590 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 32,322 charging locations at the end of March. This figure represents a growth of 47% since March 2023.

In the last quarter, more than 5,000 charge points have been installed, which is a 10,5% increase in the total number of public chargers.

Zapmap statistics also show continued growth in the number of high-powered charging hubs opening across the country. Beneficial for electric vehicle drivers during extended trips, these hubs are equipped with six or more rapid/ultra-rapid charging stations. The count does not include Tesla stations inaccessible to drivers of non-Tesla vehicles.

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