Over £1million government funding set to spark EV charging plans in Harborough

Over 60 chargingpoints will be installed in Harborough as a result of the funding.

Over £1 million government funding will spark plans in Harborough for more electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints.

Harborough District Council is among 16 authorities selected to benefit from funding to support EV chargepoint rollout.

Today’s (February 21) announcement by Transport Minister Jesse Norman will mean the installation up to a further 63 chargepoints in the short term, while working to support Harborough to deliver many more in the long term.

The funding will expand the current Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Pilot, boost the existing On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) and help councils, like Harborough secure resource to develop expertise and coordinate chargepoint plans and work with private operators to deliver a comprehensive and reliable network of chargepoints.

Technology and Decarbonisation Transport Minister, Jesse Norman said: "The Government is giving local authorities across England additional help today to energise their chargepoint roll-out plans.

“Today’s commitment will lead to thousands of new chargers being installed, and plans for tens of thousands extra in due course, so that more people than ever can make the transition to using EVs.”

Part of this includes the £8 million LEVI Capability Fund which will enable local authorities the skills to scale up their plans when it comes to their charging strategy.

The funding will help Harborough work in tandem with private businesses and chargepoint operators, building and utilising their collective knowledge and expertise to deliver the most ambitious chargepoints plans for their area.

Today also sees the Government bringing forward a further £7 million funding for the existing On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) bringing the total funding this year to £37 million. Some 3,000 chargepoints have already been installed under ORCS with a further 10,000 in the pipeline.

Several additional funding schemes are already open and available to help install chargepoints for electric vehicles with government support, including the Workplace Charging Scheme, Landlord grant and the Private/Rental grant.

The Government has already spent over £2 billion to support the move to zero emission vehicles, helping drive forward the decarbonisation of the UK’s entire transport system.