Over £40m funding secured to boost number of electric charge points across the East Midlands

A partnership of eight local authorities, led by Lincolnshire County Council and Worcestershire County Council, have successfully bid for £20.64m of funding.

These two consortiums are the last to be approved for funding after five other local authority partners, being led by Nottinghamshire County Council, secured £20.17m, therefore totalling £40.8m of funding for the partnership overall.

The funding comes from Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, which will help deliver more than 16,000 charge point sockets across the region, with exact numbers determined as part of future contracts.

Almost 31 per cent of Midlands residents do not have access to off-street parking so it is hoped that increasing the number of public on-street charge points will make it easier for those without a driveway to make the switch to an electric vehicle.

This will also increase the ease of travel and charging for all EV users in the county.

Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said: “Making charging as seamless and as easy as possible is a crucial to making the switch to electric a success, and rolling out over 16,000 chargers across the Midlands will make driving an EV cheaper and easier, especially for those without a driveway.

“Electric vehicles will power growth, cut emissions and improve lives in the Midlands and beyond, as we continue to deliver our Plan for Change.”

Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect, said: “We are delighted that our collaboration with local authorities has resulted in a significant funding boost for electric vehicle infrastructure across the region.

“This is a great step in moving towards a reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure network across the Midlands, which will become increasingly important as we move closer to the 2035 ban of diesel and petrol vehicles.

“We will continue to work with local authorities to accelerate the roll-out of electric vehicle infrastructure across the Midlands.”

Owning an EV is also becoming increasingly cheaper, with drivers able to save up to £750 a year compared to petrol if they mostly charge at home.

The average range of a new electric car is now 236 miles – that’s about two weeks of driving for most people – all the while emitting just 1/3 of the greenhouse emissions of a petrol car during its lifetime.

With 24/7 helplines, contactless payments, and up-to-date public chargepoint locations, charging has now become easier than ever.