Overview
- On Saturday the government confirmed the home charger grant has been raised from £350 to £500, the higher payment is available until March 2027, and eligibility has been widened to renters, flat owners, landlords and small businesses.
- Planning rules have been relaxed to make it easier to install off‑street and wall‑mounted chargers, reducing paperwork and allowing more homes and businesses to fit units without extra planning consent.
- Hampshire will receive about 17,000 new public charge points through the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, backed by a £6.6 million government contribution and private capital from charge‑point operator Believ, with installations due to start later this year and roughly 500 planned in year one.
- The Department for Transport says the combined measures and cheaper home electricity rates could cut charging costs to as little as 2p per mile for some households and that a further £600 million is available to speed national rollouts.
- Reporting shows inconsistent figures for how many drivers have used the Electric Car Grant, but the reforms target the two main barriers to EV uptake—upfront costs and access to charging—which should particularly help on‑street parkers and renters and may prompt wider local infrastructure bids and nominations.