Government invests £70m to double the number of public rapid charge points - but hints it will terminate £3,500 grants for electric cars
- Some 3,000 government-funded new fast chargers will be installed by 2024
- That will take the number of rapid charge points in Britain to 5,000
- Most will be installed on major routes and at motorway services, it's expected
- However, transport secretary Grant Shapps said grants for electric cars will go
- He urged motorists to use the £3,500 subsidy while it was still available
The number of electric car rapid chargepoints in the UK will more than double between now and 2024, but a government grant to help motorists buy vehicles to plug into them is likely to be cut before they all arrive.
The Government confirmed last week that it will invest a total of £400million to help bolster the public charging network, with £70million used to fund the installation of 3,000 rapid chargers over the next five years.
But while infrastructure will be improving, the incentives to purchase ultra-low emission vehicles in the UK could soon be terminated, with the Secretary of State for Transport claiming in an interview that the £3,500 subsidy for customers 'will go eventually'.
Charger investment: Government will inject £70m of funding into doubling the number of rapid chargers on the country's major road network between now and 2024
A new injection of funding will be used to expand the public charging network, with a review already taking place to decide where installations will be best located to maximise usability for electric car drivers.
Most new chargers will be dedicated to major routes, which means the majority will be dotted around motorway service stations across the country.
This should bolster the network of motorway chargers currently in place, most of which are supplied by Ecotricity as part of contractual agreements with the majority of services operators.
The provider has faced tough criticism from the growing community of electric-vehicle owners, who have raised issue with persistent charger unreliability and faults that limit the charging capability.
While the firm has promised to upgrade its systems to overcome the problems, it said it will raise connection prices to cover the cost of the improvements.
Ecotricity currently has a contractual agreement with most motorway service operators to provide charge points, though have faced a flood of complaints from drivers over reliability
Electric vehicles owners have voiced their annoyance with Ecotricity's network of chargers. This user struggled to access charge points at John Lennon airport
Other say there simply aren't enough chargers available to cater for the growing number of electric vehicles on the road - despite there being just over 200k on the road
Not every user has had a negative experience with Ecotricity's network, though...
Drivers will hope that the addition of 3,000 new government-funded fast chargers will mean more dependable charging availability for long journeys.
The addition will take the total available in 2024 to 5,000 and offer much shorter charging periods, according to the Department for Transport's announcement.
Today's rapid chargers are typically capable of delivering electricity at a minimum of 50 kilowatts (kW), which can generally boost an vehicle's batteries up to 80 per cent capacity in around 40 minutes.
However, the DfT promises that new installations will be able to charge an electric vehicle in as little as 20 minutes - so just half the time.
Tesla's Model 3, which was the third most registered new model in the UK last month, can already accept up to 200kW of charge - four times what current UK fast chargepoints offer.
Porsche's recently unveiled Taycan electric sports car can receive up to 270kW, while VW's ID.3 - a sub-£30,000 family hatchback revealed last week - can accept up to 100kW.
The DfT says the new chargers will be able to replenish the batteries of electric vehicles in half the time it takes the current charge points
Plug-in car grant looks set to be removed
Investment in the public charging network is seen as fundamental if the Government is to stick to its plan to ban on the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2040 - as are incentives to encourage drivers to switch to electrified vehicles.
But that hasn't stopped minsters reducing subsidies to help motorists buy plug-in cars.
Just last year, the Department for Transport cut the grant for 'category 1' pure electric models to £3,500 (reduced from £4,500) and terminated it entirely for qualifying plug-in hybrids.
And in a recent interview, new transport secretary, Grant Shapps, admitted that he wants to end the grant entirely.
'I make no bones about it. We want to remove all the subsidy,' Shapps told the Times.
'So you can see this in two ways. If you are out there reading this, thinking of buying an electric car, buy it while the subsidy’s there, because it will go eventually.'
He went on to add that he couldn’t promise 'lots of extra public bungs of taxpayers’ cash so you can buy your new car'.
In a recent interview with the Times, new transport secretary, Grant Shapps (pictured), admitted that he wants to end the plug-in car grant entirely, removing the subsidy of £3,500
Mr Shapps has recently used the grant he wants to remove himself, receiving a full subsidy of £3,500 to help him purchase one of the first Tesla Model 3s to arrive in the UK
Mr Shapps comments have come just weeks after the transport boss himself benefited from the grant that government wants to eventually remove, receiving a full subsidy of £3,500 towards the purchase of a new £44,090 Tesla.
Removing the grant altogether is likely to cause huge frustration for motorists and the industry, with recent declines in low-emission vehicle sales - especially plug-in hybrids cars - blamed on last year's decision to slash the grant.
The Government has committed to continue with the plug-in grant until 2020, but has provided few details of what will happen beyond this deadline.
The Road to Zero document, published in October 2018, states: 'As the market becomes better established and more competitive, the need for direct government financial support will decrease.
'We therefore expect to deliver a managed exit from the grant in due course and to continue to support the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles through other measures.'
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