EV expansion | Government pledges £381million funding for rapid rollout of charge points across the country

Ambitious plans have been announced to support the rapid rollout of public electric charging stations, including grants for schools and other public buildings, cash for councils and new targets for overall charge point numbers.  

Included in the Government scheme is a £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund given to local authorities across the country, as well as grants of up to £2500 per unit to state schools to support the construction of charging locations.   

The plans are intended to support a nationwide transition towards electric vehicle use and accompany recent laws mandating transparent pricing at chargepoints. This comes as over 53,000 chargepoints have now been installed in the UK. 

Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Anthony Browne MP, said: “This latest set of measures will mean EV owners everywhere will benefit. This Government has already spent over £2bn to ensure a smooth switch to EVs, and we’re committed to supporting drivers as we transition towards net zero.” 

Adoption of EVs has been strong for the automotive sector, with fully electric cars now making up 16% of market sales in 2023.  

In the motorcycle market however, there’s a very different story to tell. Figures published by the MCIA revealed that electric bike sales made up just 3.6% of the market in 2023, with an overall reduction of 38% units sold versus 2022. 

Evidently the majority of bikers seem to be clinging steadfastly to the combustion engine, with the appetite for battery bikes seeing a net reduction, despite heightening incentives to jump aboard the electric bandwagon.  

When asked if the news might improve plug-in bike sales, MCIA CEO Tony Campbell told MCN: “Infrastructure developments at this moment are largely irrelevant – investment is going towards trunk roads rather than the rural locations most pleasure riders venture to. The government needs to subsidise areas where motorcyclists congregate if they want to instigate change.”

Campbell went on to add: “The bike industry faces different challenges to the automotive sector. [For bikes] the availability and pricing of fuels will likely be the biggest motivating factor of electric adoption.

“As the average age of motorcyclists continues to rise, an engineering shift is inevitable as manufacturers move to attract a younger, more environmentally concerned audience.”