Plymouth has been granted £2,824,000 funding for more EV charging points across the city, for those who don’t have off-street parking, as part of the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund.
The funding will support residents who have to park on street as they don’t have private driveways or garages to be able to charge their vehicles. Currently around 37 per cent of households in Plymouth do not have off street parking and would have to travel to charge their car if they owned an EV.
The scheme supports local authorities in England to plan and deliver charging infrastructure and will support the delivery of more charge points in the city.
More drivers are making the switch to electric vehicles, with electric vehicles accounting for over 16 per cent of the new UK car market in 2023, according to industry statistics.
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport said: “This is great news to hear that we have this funding. Plymouth City Council is already making strides in helping the city become greener by introducing more EV charging points, and we already have over 200 charge points installed across the city.
“Like many cities, many of our streets were built well before cars. While we are making good progress introducing EV chargers across the city, we want to make electric vehicles the more attractive, greener option – more chargers will help us achieve this.
“We aim to make EV charging accessible and reliable for people who live, work and visit Plymouth.”
Technology and Decarbonisation Minister Anthony Browne added: “This Government has a plan to help speed up the installation of EV charge points, which we’re getting on and delivering.
“This dedicated funding to local councils is part of our plan to ensure people can switch from a petrol or diesel car to an EV when they choose to do so.”