A National Charge Point Network

Electric vehicles are the future. And if you needed any more proof, just take a look at Plugged-In Places – the Department of Transport’s commitment to establishing a national charging network for electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

The scheme already has locations in London, Milton Keynes and the North East, and as of December 2010, has confirmed funding for five additional Plugged-In Places in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the East of England.

And the government aren’t the only ones helping move things forward. There are a series of programmes across the UK that seek to provide electric car owners with charge points. We’ve collected some of the best (and least-known) schemes together here:

Source London

Started in 2011 by Mayor of London Boris Johnson and the Electric Vehicle Delivery Plan, this scheme seeks to establish London as the electric vehicle capital of Europe. Committed to lowering vehicle emissions in the capital, Boris Johnson is helping to develop the infrastructure for electric vehicles in the city, making it practical and convenient for drivers of zero-emission vehicles. His aims include getting 100,000 electric cars on the road, making sure you’re never more than a mile from a charge point while in the capital, and placing charge points at selected supermarkets, residential streets and car parks across London.

EValu8

Based in the East of England and with investment of £7 million, the EValu8 project seeks to “build upon the region’s significant innovation capabilities and help catalyse the new global EV economy”.

Over the next two years, EValu8 will fund 50% of eligible costs for the installation of 1,200 recharging points across the East of England, with a view to creating a connection with networks in London, Milton Keynes and the Midlands.

Charge Your Car

The North East of England will be served by the Charge Your Car project – which covers Durham, the Tees Valley, Tyne and Wear, and Northumberland.

The scheme, initiated in 2010, currently boasts 200x 3/7kW charging stations and 3x 50kW Quick Chargers in the North East region. By 2013, Charge Your Car aims to operate 1,300 charge points across the four regional areas above, creating a wide-reaching EV charging network.