Government Switched on to Electric Vehicle Charging

27/08/2010

The multi-million pound Plugged-in Places scheme, which would see the roll-out of a network of electric vehicle charging hubs across the UK, looks set to be honoured by the new coalition government and is expected to survive the upcoming Whitehall spending review.

Electric Vehicle Charging Scheme

Announced by the Labour government in February 2009, the Plugged-in Places scheme has seen electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure appearing in car parks, major supermarkets, leisure and retail centres and on the street.

Funding for the scheme has been split into two rounds. The first round concluded last year and the second competition will follow late in 2010.

Delivered by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), the first round winning areas to install electric vehicle charging points under the scheme are London, Milton Keynes and the North East.  The Department of Transport awarded the winners £8.8m this year in match funding.  Over 2,500 EV charging points are to be installed in the first year, with further 11,000 over the following three year period. 

Proving Popular

The Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) reports that the EV charging scheme has attracted a lot of interest from other UK locations including the West Midlands, Cornwall, Sheffield, the Lake District, Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland, all of which are among those currently preparing to bid for the second round of funding, if approved.

According to a Whitehall insider, plans for the second round of funding for electric vehicle charging points have been approved “in principle”.   However details have not yet been announced. 

Speaking to Business Green the source is reported to have said: "It's almost been given the nod. The government supports the EV charging scheme in principle, but in terms of funding and how it would work, that is to be decided in the spending review."

Electric Car Grants

Preempting the spending review, the new government recently confirmed the retention of the incentive scheme, to be launched early next year, offering motorists £5,000 off a new electric car. 

Allied Electric’s Corporate Sales Manager, Steve Harris, comments: “We were delighted to hear that the electric car grant scheme will go ahead.  Given this is on the agenda, we also have to be hopeful that the Plugged-in Places scheme will go continue too, since electric vehicles and electric charging points clearly need to go forward together."

Steve continues: ”The scheme is already helping three areas make the transition to fully electric vehicles.  As the second round of funding rolls out, many more people will soon be able to experience the benefits of running zero emission electric vehicles.”