New £6m funding package to be shared by 17 local authorities
Plans to accelerate the rollout of ultra-low emission taxis are set to receive a major boost today with the news the government is to fund over 300 dedicated chargepoints across the UK.
The Department for Transport (DfT) will today award more than £6m of funding to 17 local authorities across the UK as part of a programme designed to provide almost 300 chargepoints and a further 46 fast-chargepoints for use by plug-in taxi operators.
Projects being funded include Transport for Greater Manchester's plan to install chargepoints at Manchester Airport's Taxi Feeder Park, plans to create hubs for ultra-low emission taxi charging in strategic locations across Leicester, and new charging arrays in Brighton and Hove and the North East.
The move follows a similar £14m funding award last March, which supported the rollout of 389 rapid and 143 fast chargepoints.
Jesse Norman, Future of Mobility Minister, said the latest funding represented an important milestone in the delivery of the government's Road to Zero Strategy.
"The government wants all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040," he said. "Getting the right infrastructure and investment in place is a crucial part of this. Today's funding will support almost 4,000 ultra low emission vehicles across the country. It is a further sign that the UK is making real progress in the transition to greener transport."
His comments were echoed by Automotive Minister Richard Harrington, who said the new charge points for greener taxis would "help accelerate a cleaner environment for people across the UK".
"This will also point the way for a better, healthier future for us all as part of the government's modern Industrial Strategy which builds on the government's long-standing partnership with the UK automotive sector," he added.
The government is hoping its support for EVs can help stimulate investment in the automotive sector, at a time when leading car giants have warned Brexit could force them to shift production lines and investment to the EU.
Ministers are also optimistic plug-in taxis can play a major role in both driving demand for EVs and tackling urban air pollution.
Demand for plug-in hybrid black cabs from UK-based manufacturer LEVC has soared in recent months, as cabbies look to take advantage of the lower running costs plug-in vehicles offer. Meanwhile, Uber has set a high profile target to switch to a fully electric fleet in London by 2025 and has introduced a new charge on all journeys to help fund the transition.
However, some taxi operators have warned access to chargepoints could slow the shift towards plug-in vehicles, especially if demand for public chargepoints continues to increase as more motorists switch to EVs themselves. As such, the promise of more dedicated chargepoints is likely to be welcomed by environmental campaigners and taxi operators alike.
The move is the latest in a series of funding commitments from the DfT designed to strengthen a decarbonisation strategy that has been widely criticised by MPs and campaigners for not being ambitious enough.
Today the government will also announce the winners of a £14m competition to fund hydrogen fuel cell vehicle projects. The move follows the award of funding last week to a range of green projects, including initiatives to develop solar roads, fill potholes using plastic, cut emissions from diesel trains, and connect solar panels to the rail network.