Milton Keynes plugs in to funding for electric vehicle charging points

A £5m investment to introduce charging points for electric vehicles in Milton Keynes will make it one of the first "Plugged-in Places" in the country, under plans announced today by Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis and Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills Pat McFadden.

The funding for the project was confirmed today by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), following a bid co-ordinated by Milton Keynes Council from a consortium including Nissan, Central Networks, University Centre Milton Keynes, and Milton Keynes Partnership.

In all, 2,430 charging points will be installed across the town over the next three years. Of these, 2,000 will be in residential situations, while the remainder will be on streets, in car parks, and in retail and commercial locations.

The investment is part of a £30m fund for a network of electric vehicle hubs - Plugged-in Places - the first three of which, Milton Keynes, London and the North East, were named today and where 11,000 vehicle recharging points will be installed.

Also included in the Government's plans is a grant of up to £5,000 to help pioneering motorists buy an ultra-low-carbon car. The money will be distributed directly to the consumer at the point of purchase and will be available across the UK from January 2011, by which time a range of eligible vehicles are expected to be available.

Both initiatives are part of a £400 million Government strategy to support the creation of a flourishing early market for ultra-low-carbon vehicles. The programme will help to meet the UK's commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transport; and will position the UK automotive industry as a world leader in the field of ultra-low-carbon vehicle technology and its use.

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said:

"Decarbonising transport isn't an aspiration - it's a reality. By this time next year, cutting edge motorists will be on the roads with these next generation cars they've purchased because of our help. 

"And thanks to Plugged-in Places like Milton Keynes, we will have infrastructure in place to support this growing market.

"Transport has a huge part to play to help the UK meet its stringent emission reduction targets and today's announcement is another step on the road to putting the UK at the global forefront of ultra-low-carbon vehicle development, manufacture and use."

Business minister Pat McFadden said:

"Low carbon vehicles are an important part of the broader shift to a low carbon economy.

"We have already committed £450m to delivering our ambitious vision of supporting suppliers of low carbon technology, encouraging demand from consumers and enabling lead UK cities and regions to switch on charging infrastructure.

"The Government is focusing on this sector as a priority and we are committed to helping British businesses take advantage of the growth potential and job opportunities this presents."

The funding for ultra-low-carbon cars - called the Plug-in Car Grant - will significantly reduce prices by providing 25 per cent towards the cost of a new car, capped at £5,000, and will be open to both private and business fleet buyers.

To be eligible for the scheme, cars involved in the scheme will have to pass performance criteria to ensure safety, range, and ultra-tailpipe-low emissions.

The Plugged-in Places will provide the charging points to support these vehicles, demonstrating how electric vehicle charging works in practice in a range of different settings - urban, suburban and regional - as well as testing innovative technologies such as rapid charging, inductive charging and battery swap. 

A second competition for Plugged-in Places funding is to follow later in the year, with consortia from the West Midlands, Cornwall, Sheffield, the Lake District, Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland having already confirmed their intention to bid for second-wave funding.

These measures - to be delivered by OLEV - will move the UK further towards its ambitious carbon reduction targets. It will also support the UK automotive and other related supply chain industries in realising the economic opportunities that a shift to low carbon represents.

OLEV will also lead work to join up the Plugged-in Places, working closely with partners including the Energy Technologies Institute and the Technology Strategy Board to ensure a fully interoperable network is established in the UK. OLEV will be assessing the feasibility of charging along strategic corridors with the Highways Agency and motorway service area operators; and of charging infrastructure at railway station parking facilities with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and Network Rail.

1. The consumer incentive scheme was originally launched as part of 'Ultra Low-Carbon Vehicles in the UK - the challenge' http://www.hmg.gov.uk/lowcarbon" href="http://www.hmg.gov.uk/lowcarbon">www.hmg.gov.uk/lowcarbon

2. The experiences of the first three Plugged-in Places will inform the future development of a national charging infrastructure.  The first round of Plugged-in Places funding was open to bids from consortia in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland made up of local authorities, businesses, electricity distributors and suppliers and other organisations like the RDAs.  The consortia had to demonstrate why their area was best suited to be at the forefront of the EV market, as well as how their plans would fit in with other Government objectives, such as improving local air quality, and create local incentives to further encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.

3. At a national level, the Government is also examining how to join the Plugged-In Places up with charging infrastructure along strategic corridors, and how to support multi-modal journeys, in order to facilitate the wider use of electric vehicles.  OLEV will work with partners such as the Highways Agency, Motorway Service Area operators; Network Rail; and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to determine how charging infrastructure could be installed at motorway service areas and at a railway stations to support the wider use of electric vehicles.  OLEV will also be working with the Plugged-In Places, the Energy Technologies Institute and electric car manufacturers to ensure that drivers can easily use charging and payment technology, no matter which part of the country they happen to be in. 

4. £8.2m of the £30m Plugged-In Places fund will be invested in 2010/11. A second round of Plugged-In Places funding will be held later this year. Consortia from the West Midlands, Cornwall, Sheffield, the Lake District, Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland have already confirmed their intention to bid for second round funding.  

5. The 'Plug-in Car Grant' will operate in a similar way to the Government's successful 'scrappage' scheme.  Offer of the 'Plug-in Car Grant' will be subject to notification of technical requirements to, and state aid approval from, the European Commission.  Cars will be discounted at the point of purchase and subsidy claimed by the manufacturer, providing a simple, hassle-free process for the consumer.  Subsidy will be 25% of the car's Recommended Retail Price, up to a value of £5,000. 

6. Any car eligible for subsidy will have demonstrated compliance against safety and performance criteria. These criteria have been published today.  These, and further information about the Plug-In Car Grant and Plugged-In Places are available from www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/olev/

Overall, the Government is investing around £400m to encourage the development, manufacture and use of next generation ultra-low carbon vehicles. Delivered by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles this support is being targeted to create new jobs in a low carbon automotive sector and to cut carbon from UK road transport.

8. OLEV is a new cross- Government team, bringing together existing policy and funding streams to drive policy delivery.  Located within the Department for Transport, it incorporates policies, people and funding from DfT, BIS and DECC.  

9. The Government has already committed around £400 million of support to encourage development and uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles:

- £23 million for the TSB Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation Platform - phase 1;

- £100 million for the TSB Low Carbon Vehicle Integrated Delivery Programme;

- £20 million for the DfT Low Carbon Vehicle Public Procurement Programme;

- £250 million for the DfT EV consumer incentive package.

10.  Milton Keynes - Plugged-in Places (PiP) winning bid:

Lead partner - Milton Keynes.

Consortium members - Nissan, Central Networks, University Centre Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Partnership.

Total project cost - £4.94m.

PiP funding request total (years 1-3) -  £2.24m.

PiP funding allocated (year 1) -  £821,840.

No. of charging points -  430 (+2,000 domestic).

Locations - 286 on street (Milton Keynes)

                   24 on street (other)

                   50 retail car parks

                   60 workplaces

                     8 bus rapid charge.

Technologies - Standard; Fast; Rapid; Inductive charging; Grid interaction

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