Infrastructure for EV (Electric Vehicle) charge points will receive a significant £300 million investment to support future demand.

Ofgem is driving the EV revolution for Britain. Motorway service stations and major road locations will receive the cabling required to install new EV charge points across Britain. This will expand the network, encourage more drivers to transition to electric and accelerate our progress to net-zero.

They will deliver over 200 low carbon projects to transform Britain with a £300 million investment fund. This will benefit every region across England, Wales and Scotland. Including rural areas where accessibility can be challenging.

The current network of EV charge points will receive a large expansion with over 1,800 new ultra-rapid points for motorways and major roads and 1,750 points for towns and cities.

Ofgem research has shown that 36% of households who do not intend to purchase an EV are deterred by lack of charge point accessible to them or near their home. The upgrade of infrastructure will provide drivers with more confidence to purchase EVs and remove some of the range anxiety faced by new or potential buyers.

This will also ensure that demand can be met for the future. Demand will rise as more EVs will be on the roads as a result of banning the production of new combustion engines by 2040. This was a part of the UK target goals towards net-zero and Paris Climate Agreement. So there must be support and a solid infrastructure for EVs.

The cable infrastructure upgrade will be delivered over the next 2 years ensuring the support required for net-zero technologies and secure supply. This is a part of the wider investment programme that will allow for safe, secure and clean energy which is expected to cost over £40 billion.

To support the growth of low carbon technology such as the EV charge points, major cities such as Glasgow and York will receive increased network capacity. They will also have an increase in their renewable sources for their generation mix to power the new network.

Ofgem Chief Executive, Jonathan Brearley, said:

“The payment will support the rapid take up of electric vehicles which will be vital if Britain is to hit its climate change targets. Drivers need to be confident that they can charge their car quickly when they need to. We’re paving the way for the installation of 1,800 ultra-rapid charge points, tripling the number of these public charge points. Drivers will have more charging options for longer journeys.”