Chancellor Rachel Reeves used today’s Budget to announce a multi-million-pound cash injection into accelerating the roll out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Reeves told MPs: “We’re investing a further £200m to accelerate the rollout of EV charging, as well as 100% business rates relief for EV charge points for the next decade.”
The money is on top of the £400m of funding announced at Spending Review in June. The investment will support the installation of home and workplace charge points, the Treasury said.
On top of this, the Budget announced a £100m funding package for local authorities and public bodies to support the training and deployment of specialist EV charging staff to accelerate the rollout of public charge points.
A consultation has also been launched on permitted development rights for cross‑pavement EV charging.
This follows the £25m scheme announced in the summer to support local authorities to provide cross-pavement channel charging solutions for residents.
The moves follow the headline-catching of a new road tax for electric and hybrid vehicles within the Budget.
Electric car drivers will pay a road charge of 3p per mile, while plug-in hybrid drivers will pay 1.5p per mile from April 2028, with the rates going up each year with inflation, Reeves said.
The cross-pavement charging consultation, launched today by the Department for Transport, will run until 21 January next year.
It is seeking views on further proposed changes to permitted development rights to allow for:
- multiple units of equipment housing or storage units for electric vehicle charge points in non-domestic, off-street car parks; and
- the installation of cross-pavement solutions and associated domestic charge points.
The consultation document can be found at: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/TEDB3L/
Image: Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Shutterstock
