The federal government has pledged £10m in funding for brand new applied sciences that may enable electrical car (EV) charging gadgets to function off-grid or with out giant grid connections.
Help will assist overcome grid constraint challenges and allow extra chargers to be rolled out on England’s motorways and main A-roads, together with in additional rural areas throughout the nation.
Non-public operators can apply for a share of the funding, which might be used to develop modern vitality sources and applied sciences enabling present vitality provides to go additional. Corporations have till 25 March 2026 to use for funding by way of Innovate UK’s web site.
The options might be focused at hard-to-treat, grid-constrained websites the place excessive prices or lengthy timescales would in any other case delay cost level provision. Options might embrace combos of renewable vitality sources corresponding to photo voltaic or vitality storage techniques like batteries to keep away from the necessity for costly grid upgrades at harder-to-power areas.
To be thought of for funding, initiatives should allow a minimum of 12 EVs to entry ultra-rapid charging, which may ship round 120 to 145 miles of vary in quarter-hour for a typical EV.
“Launching this competitors, Innovate UK will take a look at new approaches to the EV charging energy challenges on England’s strategic highway community, particularly in rural areas,” says Claire Spooner, director of mobility at Innovate UK.
“The programme’s outcomes will construct functionality and produce collectively vitality and transport stakeholders to enhance EV charging for longer journeys.”
Rural areas have seen the strongest progress in cost factors this 12 months together with areas in Yorkshire, the North West, Scotland and Wales.
