Major £10m investment into electric vehicle charging across Liverpool City Region

⚡More than £10m could be spent to increase electric vehicle charging capacity across the Liverpool City Region.

Subject to approval by the region’s Combined Authority, the investment could go into boosting the on-street charging network helping households without private driveways or off-street parking – including people living in apartments and terraced houses – to access charge points, helping to remove a potential barrier to using electric vehicles.

Currently there are only 600 publicly available charging points throughout the six council areas. It is hoped the new investment could also unlock jobs and improve connectivity at major transport hubs.

More than £9.6m has been awarded to the combined authority on an indicative basis from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund. This supports local authorities in England to plan and deliver chargepoint infrastructure for residents without off-street parking.

Should combined authority leaders agree when they meet at Mann Island on Friday, a second stage business case would be drawn up to secure the vital funds. They could then be used at key locations like railway station car parks and to support an increase in the city region’s number of fast charging hubs – which can charge electric cars in as little as 20 minutes.

The project is set to create a number of jobs and training opportunities in the region, with funding to employ an Electric Vehicle project team to work across all six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region. It is thought a further £700,000 would be invested by the combined authority over the next three years.

The City Region was the first in the country to declare a climate emergency and Mayor Steve Rotheram has set a target to be net zero carbon by 2040 – at least 10 years ahead of the national government.

He said: “We have a responsibility to cut our carbon emissions, rapidly decarbonise and, ultimately, to save our planet. I want the Liverpool City Region to be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution, leading the charge towards net zero, and taking advantage of the myriad of jobs, investment and opportunities that it will provide.

“A third of all emissions in our region come from transport, so increasing the use of electric vehicles will help our wider efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality. I’m working to build a cleaner, more reliable public transport network but I appreciate there are a myriad of reasons as to why, for some, this simply isn’t the best way of getting around.

“Not only are we increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points across our region, but improving access for those households without driveways or off-street parking, which will make it much easier for people to switch to greener forms of transport.”

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