Wales has lowest electric vehicle charging grant take-up in UK

Wales had the lowest uptake for electric car home charging grants, according to figures from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.

The demand for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme’s (EVHS) in Wales amounted to just 319 grants per 100,000 homes last year.

The highest take-up of EVHS, which provides 75% of the cost of installing electric vehicle charging devices at domestic properties, was in the South East at 735 per 100,000.

There was a brighter side for Welsh electric vehicle owners though, with 1,600 devices being installed in 2020, the highest number of installations since the scheme was launched in 2014. Last year’s installations bring the number of installed EHVS charging devices in Wales to 4,600.

Across the country, over 42,000 grants for home charging devices were made last year, worth nearly £17m, which was over a quarter of the value of grants since the government launched the scheme.

The figures are hot on the heels of last week’s news, showing new electric vehicle registrations rocketed in 2020, hitting 87% growth for alternative fuel vehicles. Total vehicle registrations dropped 27% during 2020, with diesel vehicles being particularly badly hit, down 51%.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in November that wholly powered petrol and diesel cars will no longer be sold in the UK from 2030 as part of the ‘green industrial revolution’ to tackle climate change. Johnson says the government plans to ‘invest more than £2.8 billion in electric vehicles, lacing the land with charging points’.

Greg Wilson, Quotezone.co.uk’s Founder says: “Easy access to recharging points is crucial to meeting the government’s ambitious targets for electric vehicle use, but there is much work to do to meet these government plans. Research suggests that an investment of £16.7bn is needed on the public charging infrastructure alone – excluding local grid network updates.”

“While grant funding demand for charging devices shot up last year, it will need to increase even more in order to ensure that more than two million new vehicles sold each year can access electric charging points as the 2030 deadline draws closer.”

“Welsh electric vehicle enthusiasts might be disappointed but we have to note local factors such as the region’s rural character, the proportion of tenancy properties and access to off-street parking could all affect the practicalities of going green.”

Recommended by 97% of reviewers, Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products including electric car insurance.