Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to improve the infrastructure for electric vehicles.

The Government’s vision is to have one of the best electric vehicle infrastructure networks in the world, growing a network for current and prospective electric vehicle drivers that is affordable, reliable, accessible and secure. The Road to Zero strategy published last year includes new commitments to expand significantly electric and low emission vehicle infrastructure across the country. Government funding and leadership, alongside private sector investment has supported the installation of more than 20,000 public chargepoints. This includes over 2,000 rapid chargepoints - one of the largest networks in Europe. Our grant schemes and our £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle chargepoints installed across the UK. Highways England has committed £15m to ensure there are chargepoints (rapid where possible) every 20 miles on 95% of the Strategic Road Network by 2020. The Prime Minister has asked the Office for Low Emission Vehicles to work with industry to set out a vision by Autumn 2019, for a core infrastructure network of rapid and high powered chargepoints along England’s key road network.