NFDA welcomes EV charging infrastructure investment

The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has announced that Government funding for the installation of chargepoints on residential streets next year will be doubled to £10 million. According to the Government, “this could fund up to another 3,600 chargepoints across the country”.

“It is encouraging to see that the Government has doubled the funding for residential street chargepoint recognising that charging an electric vehicle must be a convenient and simple process”, said Sue Robinson, director of the National franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK.

Additionally, the Government is looking at how to make information about all public chargepoints available in a standard format. The Department for Transport will look at how real-time information about chargepoints could be published and incorporated into sat navs and route mapping apps.

The Government has previously stated that all newly installed rapid chargepoints must provide debit and credit card payments. It intends to develop a roaming solution across the charging network which would allow EV drivers to use any public chargepoint through a single app or payment method.

Robinson continued, “We have been highlighting that a reliable and accessible charging infrastructure is key to ensure that larger numbers of motorists embrace EVs.  As a result, further investment into the UK’s EV charging infrastructure is a positive move forward.

“Standardising and increasing the amount of data available, alongside a simplified payment process, are additional, positive improvements which will be of huge benefit to motorists.

“NFDA will continue to work closely with the Government and the relevant stakeholders to sustain the growth of the EV sector, particularly, through the development of our Electric vehicle Approved (EVA) accreditation scheme following a very successful first year.”