This week, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed a decision to double funding of residential electric vehicle charge points, increasing from the current level of £5 million to £10 million next year.
This comes after a similar doubling of funding – by £2.5 million - last August. The latest plans could potentially add a further 3,600 of such public charge points across the country, assuming local authorities take advantage of the full amount of funding available.
As of August 2019, publicly available EV charging locations have reached a tipping point over conventional refuelling, with around 9,300 charge points compared to approximately 8,400 fuel stations.
Of the EV charge points, it is estimated that around 1,600 are capable of rapid charging, from which the current generation of EV batteries can typically reach 80% of capacity in under an hour.
The current boost to EV infrastructure has been largely encouraged by an increase in electric vehicle ownership, as well as a slew of brand new plug-in models on the release schedule from many manufacturers this year.
All information correct at the time of publication