School teachers and EV drivers can charge their electric cars
more easily with 1,407 sockets now outside schools and colleges
in the UK.
Today (Friday 28 February), Future of Roads Minister has confirmed the landmark
number of chargers that have been fitted at UK schools since
March last year, thanks to £3m from the Government's Workplace Charging
Scheme (WCS).
It marks a crucial milestone in the Government's mission to boost
charging infrastructure across the country. The new chargepoints
at schools follow over 59k workplace charging sockets that the
scheme has funded since 2016. In addition to schools, the
workplace charging scheme supported a further 6,500 sockets in
workplace car parks in 2024.
Sitting at the heart of communities, schools can also open the
chargepoints to local residents and visitors, helping to fit
charging around people's daily lives and providing an additional
revenue stream to schools.
The Workplace Charging Scheme, alongside the Electric Vehicle
Chargepoint Grant, has also been extended for another year, the
Government confirmed today. This provides the certainty needed to
continue rolling out chargepoints to flats, rental properties,
schools, offices and workplaces, so that drivers can charge in
more and more places.
Today's funding is part of over £2.3bn to help industry and
consumers make a supported switch to EVs. This is creating high
paid jobs, supporting businesses up and down the country and
tapping into a multi-billion pound industry to make the UK a
clean energy superpower and deliver the Plan for Change.
Future of Roads Minister said:
“Schools are the beating heart of our towns and communities, and
rolling out chargers here shows we are building a practical and
reliable charging network designed around people's daily lives.
“Reaching 1,000 sockets at schools is a particularly significant
milestone and builds on a record January for electric car sales,
as consumer confidence in the electric transition grows every
day. This is helping support jobs, make the UK a clean energy
superpower and deliver our Plan for Change.”
While the Government is investing almost £300m to build 300 miles
of new cycle and footways to encourage more children, parents and
teachers to cycle, walk and wheel to schools, today's
announcement will also make greener journeys easier and more
accessible for those who need to drive.
The UK's public chargepoint network continues to grow every day,
with over 74k public chargers now available across the country
and a record of nearly 20k added last year alone.
With £200 million announced at Budget to continue powering the
chargepoint rollout and £6 billion of private investment in the
pipeline, the UK's charging network will continue to see tens of
thousands of chargers added in the coming years, delivering
resilient infrastructure so that EV owners can drive with the
confidence that they're never too far from a socket.
Chris Norwood, Headteacher of the Northfleet School for
Girls, said:
“Developing an environmentally friendly site is an important part
of our school vision and practice. We have been able to play
our part in reducing emissions, whilst working with students to
educate in creating a more sustainable future. Through
installing solar panels, LED lighting and car chargers we have
been able to save over £500,000 in energy costs (since 2017),
funds which are directed back into ensuring the best possible
education for our students.
“The car chargers have created over £2000 in additional school
funding which has helped to create an additional farm classroom
for all students to utilise. We expect that by modelling the best
environmental practice possible we are supporting our students to
be proactive in this area in their adult lives.”
With over 382k EVs sold in 2024 – up a fifth on the previous year
– the UK is the largest EV market in Europe. There's never been a
better time to switch to EVs, with one in three 3 used electric
cars under £20,000 and 21 brand new electric cars RRP under
£30,000.
Owning an EV is also increasingly becoming cheaper, with drivers
able to save up to £750 a year compared to petrol if they mostly
charge at home.
The average range of a new electric car is now 236 miles – that's
about two weeks of driving for most people – all the while
emitting just 1/3 of the greenhouse emissions of a petrol car
during its lifetime.
With 24/7 helplines, contactless payments, and up-to-date public
chargepoint locations, charging has now become easier than ever.
Notes to editors
- Funding under the Workplace Charging Scheme remains
available, with educational establishments able to receive up to
£2,500 per socket, and other workplaces can apply for up to £350
per socket.
