A package of measures to accelerate the UK's progress towards decarbonising transport has been announced by the government.
The measures will support the shift to electric vehicles, as well as the production of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK.
The government has launched the £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fund alongside an additional £15 million for the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme.
Taken together, the funding will support the installation of tens of thousands of new chargers across the country, increasing EV infrastructure in every area and ensuring the UK’s charging network can support the increasing number of EV drivers and those considering the switch.
These measures are projected to provide long-term certainty to industry, increasing the number of zero emission cars available for people to buy and setting a clear direction for operators to accelerate the installation of chargepoints. With a greater proportion of zero emission vehicles on the UK's roads, more drivers will benefit from lower overall running costs against their petrol and diesel counterparts. This will support a cheaper second-hand EV market while improving air quality across the country for everyone.
Mark Harper, Transport Secretary, said:
"Transport is one of the most important sectors for achieving net zero by 2050 and so we must accelerate our efforts to decarbonise how people get from A to B while growing our economy and supporting thousands of green jobs.
"From expanding our charging network to boosting the production of cleaner aviation fuel, today’s announcement is a great stride forwards, offering people more choice on how to stay connected while delivering the carbon reductions needed to achieve net zero."
Jesse Norman, Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, said:
"As today’s announcements show, the government is doing more than ever to help the UK move away from petrol and diesel and towards electric vehicles.
"That means investing in charging infrastructure and giving a clear direction to manufacturers, so they can roll out new electric vehicles faster and more efficiently. Overall, the UK is leading the way in decarbonising transport, a sector that is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases."