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Carmakers seek government help to meet EV demand surge

Government and BP announce big new investment into charging capacity but carmakers are saying the UK car industry still risks being left behind
March 25, 2022
  • More investment required in gigafactories
  • Charging point availability halves as take-up of EVs rockets

The Department for Transport has announced plans to support a tenfold increase in the number of electric vehicle charging points across the UK as the focus shifts from consumer anxiety over the range of battery-powered cars to the practicalities of keeping them charged. 

A newly announced Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy will provide a £450mn Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fund to pay for EV hubs and other on-street charging. When added to the £950mn Rapid Charging Fund announced in September last year and other commitments, the department said it was providing £1.6bn to help build a network of 300,000 charging points around the UK by 2030. This equates to almost five times the number of existing fuel pumps. 

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