Delayed: EV Rapid Charging Fund

The EV rapid charging fund which was promised in March 2020 was announced as a means to support expensive upgrades to the grid at motorway service stations to allow more rapid charge points to be deployed and enable more electric vehicles to be charged simultaneously. Yet, here we are approaching November 2023 and the £1bn funding pot is still not open for business.

There is an argument that this public money could be better placed elsewhere as many rapid charge point operators are already well financed through global energy companies, infra funds and other financial institutions. 

Fair enough. But there's a counter argument that in order to give confidence to an already doubting general public, and if we seriously want to continue to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles at pace, we've got to act and act faster. 

Because let's be honest, the 3+ year delay in making a decision is no good for anyone and the fluffy reasoning for the delay just doesn't sit right with me. 

Many charge point operators may not need funding which is great but what I do know is, they're always on the lookout for suitable sites for EV charging and typically these sought after sites are the more commercially viable with access to good power. Would it not therefore make more sense to get the fund going so network operators can take advantage of these locations with the added benefit of funding the grid upgrades?  

Give them the tools and they will deliver. Build it and they will come and all that…

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