The Government has announced a further £32m support for infrastructure to support the introduction of plug-in vehicles in the UK up to 2020. The funding will encourage the installation of charging points outside people's homes, at hospitals, train stations and on A-roads. A further £11m funding has been announced for low emission vehicle innovation.
OLEV says that the support compliments the fast-growing popularity of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) with grant claims rising four-fold in 2014 compared to the previous year as take-up of plug-in car grants continues to rise.
In addition, another £11 million of funding has been announced to boost what OLEV says is the UK’s position as a world leader in low emission vehicle technology innovation. The funding will be provided to 50 organisations, ranging from small businesses to major universities, working together on 15 research and development projects.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer announced the funding during a visit to Nissan’s European technical development centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. She said: "The funding announced today marks another milestone in the Government’s support for ultra low emission vehicles as their popularity takes off.
"The public will find it even easier to charge their cars when they are out and about thanks to our £8 million commitment to support new chargepoints across key locations in our towns and cities. And we have today announced another £15 million to continue to back the rollout of convenient home chargepoints across the country.
"Our support to the ULEV industry will help ensure the innovation that is a hallmark of the British automotive industry will continue to drive development in this vital growth sector."