Funding for all-electric cars future

Cities compete for Government money to improve infrastructure for charging electric car.

By David Williams Published: 6:30AM GMT 26 Nov 2009

On-street charging points for electric and hybrid cars should increase
Towns and cities are being invited to compete for £30 million of Government funding to put into charging points for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Transport secretary Andrew Adonis announced the scheme to help with the installation of plug-in points on streets, car parks and at commercial, retail and leisure facilities.

The initiative – Plugged-In Places – will support the development of between three and six electric car cities and regions across the UK which will act as trailblazers for electric car technology. The experiences of these locations will help shape the future development of a national charging infrastructure.
The Government says it is investing around £400 million to encourage the development, manufacture and use of next-generation ultra-low carbon vehicles. Delivered by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, the programme is aimed at creating new jobs in a low-carbon automotive sector and at cutting carbon from UK road transport.
"The UK can be a world leader in electric and low carbon cars which is why the Government has already committed about £400 million of support to encourage development and uptake of ultra low-emission vehicles," said Mr Adonis. "Our aim is for electric and low carbon cars to be an everyday feature of life on UK roads in less than five years. There is still a lot of work to be done, however Plugged-In Places is one very significant step putting us firmly on the path to a low carbon future."
Successful applicants will have to match the Government's investment. Under a separate scheme, the Government recently announced seven schemes to benefit from £500,000 of funding through the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Grant Programme, providing 72 electric charging points and four gas refuelling stations in areas across England.