£1bn Rapid Charging Fund still not open for business

A near £1bn funding pot for expanding the UK’s rapid charging facilities on motorways and A-roads remains unallocated more than three years after it was first announced.

Some industry stakeholders have said that support is vital to accelerate charging investment on the motorway network

The Rapid Charging Fund (RCF)^[1] was first pledged in the March 2020 Budget ^[2] just as the pandemic was breaking. But, as revealed in a new report by The Guardian ^[3], while the Government has put £950m aside for the pot, applications for the funding are yet to open.

That’s despite the Department for Transport having unveiled the Government’s vision for the rapid chargepoint network in England ^[4] in May 2020, which set out expectations ^[5] to have six high-powered chargers at every motorway service area in England by the end of 2023 – a target now at risk according to the RAC ^[6].

The policy paper also laid out targets for around 2,500 high-powered, open-access charge points across England’s motorways and major A-roads by 2030, ramping up to 6,000 by 2035.

The Rapid Charging Fund was also a key part of the long-awaited Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy ^[7], published in March 2022 and pledging a 10-fold increase in EV charge points to 300,000 by 2030. In the document, the Government said it would launch an RCF pathfinder scheme at selected locations in 2022, followed by a full opening in 2023 – dates now pushed back, according to the report in The Guardian.

Transport Minister Jesse Norman admitted to the House of Commons last week that the DfT was still “in the process of developing a pilot … which will open in due course”.

Industry sources have now told the newspaper that the pilot may not launch before Christmas, and warned the latest setback risks delaying the rest of the fund until after a general election, which is expected next year.

Part of the problem, revealed by The Guardian, lies in concerns from the Competition and Markets Authority that the subsidies could distort competition between motorway service area operators, which led to a report published in June ^[8]. Meanwhile, the requirement for each motorway services that gets funding to have two charge point operators has proved unpopular with charging firms.

While some have said that support is vital to accelerate charging investment on the motorway network due to the high costs of providing the electricity infrastructure, Schneider Electric has stated that collaboration across the sector is key to solving issues.

David Hall, VP of power systems at Schneider Electric, said: “The Rapid Charging fund was originally intended to boost electrical capacity at enroute destinations like motorway services that lack the infrastructure and energy resources to support EV charging. Regardless, it’s still possible for device locations to optimise energy consumption, minimise their carbon footprint and monetise EV charging assets.

“The solution lies in greater cooperation between the government, EV charging operators, building owners and other stakeholders to ensure an even distribution of charging hubs across the UK. This will help to create an ecosystem capable of delivering a charging infrastructure based on smart technology and renewable energy that isn’t constantly placing new demands on the grid.

“In the short-term we can optimise existing capacity by deploying digital tools that monitor power consumption to help with capacity planning. In the longer term, investments in microgrids will work to relieve pressure on the national grid and produce localised energy supplies, tapping into solar, wind and even green hydrogen. EVs are only as green as the energy that fuels them, which is why clean energy is so vital to the expansion of a sustainable EV charging infrastructure.”

The Guardian’s full article is here ^[9].

References

^{^} Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) (www.gov.uk)
^{^} March 2020 Budget (fleetworld.co.uk)
^{^} as revealed in a new report by The Guardian (www.theguardian.com)
^{^} Government’s vision for the rapid chargepoint network in England (www.gov.uk)
^{^} set out expectations (fleetworld.co.uk)
^{^} a target now at risk according to the RAC (fleetworld.co.uk)
^{^} Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy (www.gov.uk)
^{^} a report published in June (www.gov.uk)
^{^} here (www.theguardian.com)