A partnership of five local authorities across the Midlands region, alongside sub-national transport body Midlands Connect, have submitted a bid for almost £1m in funding, as part of the UK government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure pilot.
If successful, the money – which totals £935,355 – will be distributed between Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Herefordshire, Rutland and Stoke-on-Trent councils.
According to Midlands Connect, it is expected that this support from government will attract an additional £2.1m in private sector investment, with the cumulative funds being used to install a total of 322 standard and 27 rapid public EV chargers.
As 93% of EV owners currently have access to off-road parking, the majority of chargepoints installed will be on-street chargers in residential areas, alongside some publicly-available chargers situated in council-owned carparks and other council owned land.
Estimates suggest that the installation and maintenance of EV charging points will create an influx of jobs in the region, with over 42,000 related roles set to be created in the Midlands region by the end of 2032.
Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect, said: “It’s clear that the electric vehicle revolution is well underway in the Midlands – our projections suggest that by the end of the decade over one in four cars will be electric.
“It’s vital that we act now to install the infrastructure motorists need to travel conveniently and to accelerate the take up of EVs, especially in areas where on-street parking is the norm.
“Local authorities are working hard to install public chargepoints, but it’s vital that we secure support from Government to make change happen faster and encourage further investment from the private sector.”
Last year, analysis by Midlands Connect found that the Midlands needed some 17,461 new public EV charging points by the end of 2025 to meet growing demand.
Midlands Connect said it hopes the pilot could pave the way for a larger, region-wide installation scheme.
