Transport for the North welcomes today’s report from the Public Accounts Committee on ‘public charge points for electric vehicles.’ We were pleased to give evidence to the Committee, highlighting our own evidence base which is available across England via the sub-national transport bodies (STBs). This includes the need for decision making on electric vehicle (EV) charge points to be fair and sustainable, supporting the urgent need for transport to contribute to our national decarbonisation commitments.
Ensuring that there are enough charge points for those already using electric vehicles and for future demand up to and beyond the Government’s 2030 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles is a critical step. The Government’s local electric vehicle (LEVI) funding is a crucial national programme to accelerate delivery of public charging in all local authority areas. We further welcome the Committee’s focus on reducing the geographical divide in the location of public charge points.
Our interactive electric vehicle charging infrastructure framework uses regional data and place based intelligence to identify infrastructure requirements and evidence, which supports local authorities and government in the planning and deployment of EV charging infrastructure. This intelligence allows us to identify and assess variability of needs across our region, whether that is electricity grid capacity to power required charging, access to driveways to charge privately, or the potential commercial viability for private investment in charge points within different places in our region. We also endorse the accessibility charging standard, which should be adopted.
In December 2024 we published the Electric Vehicle State of Play report, highlighting the increasing need to meet the demands for electric vehicle charge points in the North, currently showing that we need to see a 15 fold increase against current numbers of charge points over the next six years, with an estimated £3.5 to £4.9 billion investment required to deliver this.
Transport for the North will continue to support our partners with our EV charging infrastructure framework – now used by transport authorities across the country – providing data, tools and insight to support local and national planning to deliver the step change needed in EV charge points.
Public Accounts Committee report on public charge points for electric vehicles
