The British government continues delivering its Local Electric Vehicle fund to councils to install charge points. Following the approval of the first full LEVI applications in February, payments to another 44 councils worth, today over 185 million pounds have been approved.

The British government launched LEVI in March 2022 as part of a bigger push to increase the number of public charging points in the UK to 300,000 by 2030. The overall budget of 1.6 billion pounds includes 450 million pounds for LEVI focused on the local level.

The government added that this round will support the delivery of thousands of charge points across England without disclosing details.  The second round of LEVI funding is also coming up. Local authorities allocated to said round can apply just after Easter, from 2 April 2024.

To help councils deliver EV infrastructure, the government is also funding a dedicated training course that will launch in full this week. The course is open to all local authorities and will cover key topics from technology to procurement.  LEVI funding has also helped to place almost 150 dedicated EV officers in councils to support charge point planning and delivery.

The government also had more e-mobility news. The electric vehicle charge point grant of 350 pounds will be widened to those who own or rent and can access adequate street parking. The funding will drive down the cost of EV ownership by providing up to 75% off the cost of purchasing and installing a chargepoint. Applications can be made online.

Ensuring collaboration between government and industry, today also marks the launch of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Forum. The forum, chaired by ministers and AA President, Edmund King, will discuss how best to tackle barriers and accelerate the delivery of charging infrastructure. Wider membership will be set out in due course.

Today’s announcement comes following the introduction of the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate into law earlier this year, which is the most ambitious regulatory framework for the switch to electric vehicles of any country in the world. The ZEV mandate requires 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, and 100% by 2035, providing certainty to both consumers and industry while helping to safeguard skilled UK jobs in the car industry.