Millions of drivers face driveway shake-up under Government plans | Personal Finance | Finance
Millions of motorists without a driveway are being urged to prepare for an expansion of electric car charging points as ministers ramp up Britain’s switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles.
The Government-backed rollout will see more than 100,000 new public chargepoints installed across England under the £381million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) programme, with the biggest focus on households unable to charge at home. Officials say the plans are designed to tackle one of the biggest barriers to electric car ownership for people living in terraced streets and flats, where drivers often have no off-street parking.
The latest official figures show the UK now has well over 100,000 public chargepoints nationwide, with ministers aiming to increase that figure to 300,000 by 2030.
Under the LEVI programme, councils are receiving funding and technical support to install chargers on residential streets, in public car parks and at community charging hubs.
A new government-backed EV Infrastructure Support Service launched this year said the funding is intended to: “Accelerate public EV infrastructure development”, “leverage significant private investment” and “deliver over 100,000 new public chargepoints”.
The programme is increasingly targeting areas where drivers have struggled to make the switch because they cannot install chargers at home.
In one of the latest council rollouts, Shropshire Council said the scheme would help “give residents fairer access to electric vehicle charging”, particularly in areas with rows of terraced housing and limited parking.
West Northamptonshire Council also confirmed this month that LEVI funding is specifically aimed at supporting “residents who do not have private parking”.
The charging push comes as ministers continue trying to reassure drivers over the affordability of electric vehicles. Government figures show two in five used EVs now sell for under £20,000, while dozens of new electric models are available below £30,000. Ministers also claim some EVs can cost as little as 2p a mile to charge at home.
Private firms are also pouring money into the rollout. Charging company Believ recently confirmed a £300million investment programme to install 30,000 more chargepoints across the UK.
The Government says the wider transition is backed by billions of pounds of public and private investment, alongside measures designed to protect British car manufacturing jobs and battery production.
Industry experts say the rapid expansion of on-street charging will be critical if ministers are to hit long-term targets for electric vehicle adoption ahead of the planned phase-out of new petrol and diesel car sales.
