Midlands EV owners to get 16,000-charger boost
EV charger provision in the Midlands has received a major boost after 13 councils received funding approval to install 16,000 new chargers.
The 13 local authorities have been granted £40 million through the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to more than double the region’s public charging provision.
The new cash, secured through Midlands Connect, will allow a further 16,000 on-street chargers to be installed alongside the existing network of 10,000 devices. The chargers will be rolled out across the region, including in smaller towns and rural areas to ensure that drivers without off-street parking will have access to charging options close to their homes, wherever they live.
Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said: “Making charging as seamless and as easy as possible is crucial to making the switch to electric a success and rolling out over 16,000 chargers across the Midlands will make driving an EV cheaper and easier, especially for those without a driveway.
“Electric vehicles will power growth, cut emissions and improve lives in the Midlands and beyond as we continue to deliver our Plan for Change.”
Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect, added: “We are delighted that our collaboration with local authorities has resulted in a significant funding boost for electric vehicle infrastructure across the region.
“This is a great step in moving towards a reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure network across the Midlands, which will become increasingly important as we move closer to the 2035 ban on diesel and petrol vehicles.
“We will continue to work with local authorities to accelerate the roll-out of electric vehicle infrastructure across the Midlands.”
Councillor Marc Bayliss, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said that the authority hoped the new devices would not only support existing EV drivers but also encourage other motorists to switch.”
The funding news comes as data from Zapmap revealed that there are now more than 75,000 public EV chargers in the UK and the Department for Transport announced it has rolled out more than 1,400 chargepoints at schools and over 59,000 chargers at offices and workplaces across the country.
