£15m boost for roll out of EV charging points across region

TRANSPORT for West Midlands (TfWM) has received a £15.7 million boost for plans to install up to 12,000 electric vehicle chargers across the region over the next five years.

The funding, from the Department for Transport’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, will be part of a wider funding package made available to local councils, businesses and residents to part-fund installations. Added to funding already set aside by TfWM, this means a total of £55m is now available.

This will be used to leverage substantial private sector investment to accelerate the roll out of charging infrastructure in the region.

TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined

Authority (WMCA), is working with councils, private sector suppliers and utility firms to design the programme to deliver a wide range of infrastructure, from a set of nine larger ultra rapid-charging transit stations to thousands of smaller roadside low-power chargers.

As well as funding to local authorities, the DfT has announced additional funding for homeowners or renters who do not have off street parking to help install on-street charging points.

Cllr Mike Bird, WMCA portfolio lead for transport, said: “Thanks to this latest funding, we are targeting private vehicle owners to make it easier for them to ditch their polluting cars or vans and help improve the air quality in our towns and cities.”