Five Midlands councils, including Derbyshire County Council, have come together, in collaboration with Midlands Connect, to successfully bid for £17.6 million of Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to get more EV charge points onto our streets.
Midlands second Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Consortium, alongside Sub-national Transport Body Midlands Connect, have successfully bid for £17.6 million of Government funding together, to “help the region not only to accelerate the number of EV charge points on our streets as well levelling up our regions EV ambitions across rural and urban areas.”
A spokesman for Midlands Connect said: “The cash has come from the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, in which each local authority has been allocated an individual amount from that pot and additional private investment from chargepoint operators will enable us to achieve our chargepoint socket aspirations.
“The £17.6 million funding will equate to approximately 8,000 new charge sockets across the consortium area and is also likely to support approximately 11,138 jobs in the whole electric vehicle charging supply chain.
“The second Midlands EV infrastructure Consortium is lead by Nottinghamshire County Council and is in partnership with Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Staffordshire County Council and Midlands Connect.
“Analysis by Midlands Connect found the Midlands needs over 58,000 new public EV charging points by the end of 2030 to meet the needs of the growing EV market, with over 2m EVs expected on our region’s roads by the end of the decade.
“It’s hoped this latest good news around the Government funding will spur on more region-wide installation of charging points.”
Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect, said: “It’s great to see Government supporting our collaborative approach to delivering EV and today’s announcement will lead to thousands of new chargers being installed, transforming how we travel around our region and beyond.
“We are helping councils working together to charge ahead and provide this vital infrastructure for their communities.
“The collaboration draws on their collective knowledge and expertise to deliver on street charging, making it even easier for those without driveways to make the switch to cleaner travel.
“We hope in the coming weeks the rest of our consortiums will also receive investment so we can continue to supercharge the Midlands and lead the way in EV infrastructure.”
Councillor Carolyn Renwick, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, said: “This is excellent news and much-welcomed funding to boost our efforts to meet the projected demand for EV charging across the region.
“We’re committed to providing convenient, comprehensive, and cost-effective charging solutions for road users in Derbyshire and this funding will help us to further progress several projects in this area – including solutions for those without off street parking and exploring opportunities to develop Rapid and Ultra rapid charging hubs, through private sector partnerships, to keep commercial fleet operational.”
For more information on the Midlands Engine partnership go to midlandsengine.org

What’s happening in your community? Email our Editor Belinda at editor@spiritof.uk or upload your story and accompanying photo(s) direct to our website here