Ministers have announced more than half a billion pounds of investment in green technologies which will include the expansion of rapid charge points for electric vehicles.

The Treasury has launched a £400 million fund to expand Britain’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with the first £70 million allocated for 3,000 more charge points.

The UK already has one of the largest electric vehicle charging networks in Europe, and this investment will make that the fastest by installing state-of-the-art rapid charging technology. This will half the charging time of an average family car from 40 minutes to 20 minutes.

A review is currently underway to explore the provision of charge points across major road networks, meaning drivers could charge their car whilst stopping at service stations. This investment complements £1.5 billion of support which is hoped to encourage the use of electric vehicles and make cleaner vehicles more accessible to everyone. This is part of the Government’s ambition to end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 and make the UK carbon neutral by 2050.

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “It is fantastic there is already a rapid charge point at almost every motorway service station, and now more charging stations than petrol stations. But I want to see thousands more charge points installed across the UK.”

£31.5 million has been allocated for research into pioneering technologies to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and £22 million to research new kinds of air pollutants and minimise their effects on public health.

Exchequer Secretary, Simon Clarke, said: “We are driving ahead with plans to make travel greener while backing British innovation and technology.

This is the latest in our proud record on climate change – having slashed emissions by over 40 per cent since 1990, whilst simultaneously growing our economy, and setting an ambitious target for net zero emissions by 2050.”

“The UK has been going further and faster in tackling climate change by becoming the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050 and helping us seize the opportunities of a greener future. With air pollution thought to kill as many as seven million people a year globally, it’s clear more needs to be done,” said Kwasi Kwarteng, Business, Energy and Clean Growth Minister.

Page: Intelligent Transport