A pilot backed by £20 million of government and industry funding is to give better access to electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the UK.

Through the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, local authorities and industry will work together to create new, commercial EV charging infrastructure for citizens, from faster on-street charge points to larger petrol station-style charging hubs.

The pilot is backed by £10 million of government funding shared among 9 winning local authorities in the first phase of the planned £450 million scheme, with winning pilot bids supported by an additional £9 million in private funding. A further £1.9 million will come from public funds across local authorities, the government said.

The rollout is in support of the government’s aims to encourage more motorists to go electric to save drivers money on fuel and running costs and improve air quality as the country moves towards net zero.

Nine UK cities have won portions of the pilot funding, including Barnet, Durham, Kent, and Warrington. The funding is expected to deliver over 1,000 public charge points across the areas.

Commenting on the initiative, decarbonisation minister Trudy Harrison said: “We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV chargepoints, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel.”

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