The government has pledged £10m in funding for new technologies that will allow electric vehicle (EV) charging devices to operate off-grid or without large grid connections.
Support will help overcome grid constraint challenges and enable more chargers to be rolled out on England’s motorways and major A-roads, including in more rural areas across the country.
Private operators can apply for a share of the funding, which will be used to develop innovative energy sources and technologies enabling existing energy supplies to go further. Companies have until 25 March 2026 to apply for funding via Innovate UK’s website.
The solutions will be targeted at hard-to-treat, grid-constrained sites where high costs or long timescales would otherwise delay charge point provision. Solutions could include combinations of renewable energy sources such as solar or energy storage systems like batteries to avoid the need for expensive grid upgrades at harder-to-power locations.
To be considered for funding, projects must enable at least 12 EVs to access ultra-rapid charging, which can deliver around 120 to 145 miles of range in 15 minutes for a typical EV.
“Launching this competition, Innovate UK will test new approaches to the EV charging power challenges on England’s strategic road network, especially in rural areas,” says Claire Spooner, director of mobility at Innovate UK.
“The programme’s outcomes will build capability and bring together energy and transport stakeholders to improve EV charging for longer journeys.”
Rural areas have seen the strongest growth in charge points this year including areas in Yorkshire, the North West, Scotland and Wales.
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