Accelerated charge point rollouts for schools and communities whilst the UK reaches a significant EV milestone with over a million EVs on the road, and British Gas launches the cheapest EV charging rate.
UK Government Plans to Increase Public Charge Points
The UK government has declared a series of new steps to speed up the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charge points. This ambition is part of the government’s plan for drivers and includes grants for educational institutions, funding for local authorities, and proposals to speed up charge point installations.
State-funded schools, nurseries and colleges can now access a grant covering up to 75% of the costs for purchasing and installing EV charge points, significantly increasing from the previous £350 to a maximum of £2,500 per socket.
This scheme, funded by the Department for Transport, aims to enhance charge point access for staff and visitors while encouraging schools to offer public charging, potentially generating additional revenue.
The government is spending £381 million through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund across the country, with the first payments already approved for projects in East Sussex, North Yorkshire, and two London boroughs supporting the installation of thousands of new chargers.
To support local authorities in managing this expansion, the government has taken on nearly 100 dedicated EV officers and is launching an EV infrastructure training course to build a skilled crew for delivering these projects.
The push for a broader and more reliable charging network is strengthened by new laws requiring transparent pricing and contactless payment options at a large portion of new public charge points. With over 53,000 public charge points already installed across the UK, these measures aim to streamline the charging experience for EV owners.
The government is also in talks over proposals to allow EV charge point operators to carry out street works using a faster and cheaper permit system, rather than the current licensing process. This would speed up the process significantly.
The Plan is for an all-around strategy to address the needs of EV owners, ensuring that the UK meets its climate change commitments while offering practical solutions for drivers. For more detailed information, the official statement from the Department for Transport is here.
UK 1 million EVs
The UK vehicle market is still on the increase as reported by the SMMT in their recent article. The UK celebrated its millionth battery electric vehicle (BEV) being bought in January 2024, against a backdrop of an 8.2% increase in the overall new car market compared to January 2023.
The growing adoption of electric vehicles is driven mainly by the fleet market with a 29.9% increase, despite a 15.8% decline in private retail demand.
BEVs account for over 16% of the UK’s new car market in 2023. However, challenges like a 25% decrease in registrations by private buyers, show more support for consumers in transitioning to electric vehicles is still required.
The SMMT suggests the upcoming Budget would be a good opportunity to temporarily halve VAT on new BEV purchases to encourage more consumers to switch.
Electric vehicle adoption forecasted by the SMMT for 2024 anticipates a lower BEV market share of 21.0%. This reflects ongoing consumer concerns with high energy prices, inflation and interest rates, and charging infrastructure worries. Such a cut in costs would likely see a notable boost in electric vehicle registrations.
British Gas Cheap EV Charging
British Gas has presented its Hive SmartCharge service, which it states is the cheapest electric vehicle (EV) charging option in the UK. This clever service offers a significant 4p/kWh discount on the night rate EV tariff between midnight and 5 am and incentivises longer charging times of six hours or more according to Fleet News.
A 2p credit for sessions shorter than six hours is also listed and the savings are credited to customers’ energy bills each month. The SmartCharge feature is accessible through the free Hive app,
When combined with British Gas’ Electric Driver tariff, EV owners can enjoy an effective charging rate as low as 4.95p/kWh during the specified overnight hours.
The SmartCharge service not only offers the cheapest EV charging rates but also aids in managing grid demand by encouraging off-peak charging.
