Policy

Three UK regions get £30 million for electric car infrastructure

The UK Government yesterday announced the rollout of a £30 million investment in electric vehicle infrastructure for London, Milton Keynes and the North East.

The three ‘Plugged-In Places’ will install over 11,000 vehicle recharging points in car parks, major supermarkets, leisure and retail centres over the next three years.

Starting in January next year, drivers who opt to buy an ultra-low carbon vehicle – which should be on the market in the UK by then – will receive up to £5000 in Government incentives.

The Plug-in Car Grant, which will be available at car showrooms across the UK, will contribute about a quarter of the estimated cost of ultra-low carbon vehicles. It will be available for both individual and business fleet buyers.

The two initiatives are part of the Government’s £450 million strategy to create a market for ultra-low carbon vehicles.

The work will be led by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), which will collaborate closely with partners the Energy Technologies Institute and the Technology Strategy Board – both of which have electric vehicle projects underway.

David Clarke, CEO of the Energy Technologies Institute, warmly welcomed the announcement, saying:
“We are delighted that the first three locations to be selected by OLEV for funding under the Plugged-in-Places scheme are members of the ETI’s Joined-Cities Plan.”

The Joined-Cities Plan is working with Birmingham, Coventry, Glasgow, London, Milton Keynes, the North East (Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough) and Oxford to develop an infrastructure for plug-in vehicles.

A second wave of Plugged-In Places will be announced later in the year, which could include the West Midlands, Cornwall, Sheffield, the Lake District, Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland.

“Decarbonising transport isn’t an aspiration – it’s a reality,” says Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis. “By this time next year, cutting edge motorists will be on the roads with these next generation cars.”

For further information:
www.hmg.gov.uk/lowcarbon
www.dft.gov.uk/olev
www.energytechnologies.co.uk/
www.innovateuk.org/

26 February 2010

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