Government scraps £950m EV rapid charging fund

Announced by the previous government in 2020, it was announced on 13 June that the government will instead set aside a smaller sum mainly for on-street charging points.

The RCF has been mired in delays amid concerns it could unfairly benefit some motorway service companies. The Department for Transport said the RCF had never formally been included in budget plans, so the promise was unfunded and has now since been confirmed as formally dropped.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed £400m over the next five years “to support the rollout of charging infrastructure” in this month’s spending review, after announcing £200m for charging in the autumn budget. However, it is understood much of the spending will support on-street charge points.

Logistics UK's Senior Policy Manager Stepheanie Haszczyn commented: “Although this announcement will be disappointing news to the logistics industry, it is positive to hear that the current government has committed £400m to the rollout of charging infrastructure.

"The dropped £950m was committed back in 2020 and was constantly delayed in its roll out. What the industry needs is for the new commitment from Labour to be rolled out efficiently and effectively.

"Logistics UK members will be some of the largest and most frequent users of public charging infrastructure and want to see the effective roll out of suitable charging infrastructure as quickly as possible.”