UK extends home charger grant by another year
The UK is getting increasingly serious about charging opportunities for British drivers with the expansion and extension of its current home charging grant. The grant was initially rolled out in 2023, and was intended to boost EV uptake by making charging more affordable and accessible.
Now, the government calculated that with the increased grant, this would cover “almost half the cost” of a home charging station, as well as saving drivers “up to £1400” on running costs for their vehicle compared to a petrol equivalent.
Next to the home charging grant, schools are also eligible for up to £2,000 per socket. This is set to expand the 3,700 charging sockets installed at education facilities so far.
“We’re taking action to make EV ownership the affordable choice for everyone, not just those with driveways. Bigger grants mean families, flat owners, renters and small businesses can now install a charger for almost half the usual cost, with home charging costing as little as 2p a mile,” explained aviation, maritime and decarbonisation minister Keir Mather.
He further added: “Combined with our Electric Car Grant, which has saved over 55,000 drivers thousands off the price of a new EV whilst boosting sales for car makers, and record funding for our national public charging network, we’re backing the EV revolution for drivers, businesses and industry.”
Jarrod Birch, head of policy at the trade body for the EV charging sector, further commented: “Policy-driven costs mean public charging is more expensive than it needs be, with standing charges alone rising by 462% since 2021. The Government’s review into the cost of public charging is the opportunity to address this by levelling VAT with home and tackling the soaring charges that have increased prices. Making driving an EV affordable for all is the route to keeping the transition on track.”
Despite the title, the home charging grant is not the only measure that the UK is taking to boost charging opportunities in the UK, as the government also stated that it intends to accelerate the rollout of public charging infrastructure, “using a £600 million fund that was ringfenced in two batches last year,” according to Autocar.
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