The money - £300m - will be used to support new charging points, including 1,800 ultra-rapid charging sites at motorway service stations doubling the current number available.
The move comes in response to UK plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, and phase out hybrid vehicles from 2035, which has raised questions about how the UK will reach that target due in no small part to its poor infrastructure.
As Ofgem chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, said, “Drivers need to be confident that they can charge their car quickly when they need to.”
The investment is set to be delivered over the next two years and the installation and running of charging sites is expected to be put up for tender.
The boom in EV vehicles will need to be powered by electricity and that will put enormous pressure on the UK’s power infrastructure.
So while this is a welcome move it does mean that energy utilities in the UK will need to invest heavily in upgrading the electrical network, while at the same time keeping costs under control.
That’ll certainly be a tough ask.
