PA Consulting to oversee Local EV charging infrastructure fund – EQ Mag Pro
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has selected a consortium of external partners to support the delivery of the new £450 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.
Part of the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is a team working across government to support the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The organisations provides support for the take-up of plug in vehicles, as well as funding to support charge point infrastructure across the UK.
OZEV hopes to support these goals with the launch of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. The scheme will support the planning and roll-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the UK through large scale, ambitious and commercially sustainable projects that leverage significant private sector investment.
A consortium of some of Britain’s largest companies is set to collaborate on the realisation of LEVI, combining technical, commercial and programme management expertise. Alongside Energy Saving Trust and CENEX on the consortium is PA Consulting – a transformation consultancy which has already worked with the UK Government to help build its net zero transport system.
A collective statement from the LEVI consortium read, “Energy Saving Trust, CENEX and PA Consulting are delighted to have been appointed as the support body for LEVI, in partnership with OZEV… Together we will encourage large scale thinking amongst councils to help build the local electric vehicle infrastructure needed to support fair access to low carbon travel. We look forward to creating lasting change in the next four years.”
LEVI funding is open to local authorities in England, as well as partnerships or consortiums led by a local authority within England. Applicants for the scheme must be planning an EV charging infrastructure project that supports the transition to EV use in a local area, with a particular focus on provision for those without off-street parking; will provide an improvement in accessible and low-cost EV charging that would not otherwise be met by current or planned EV charge point infrastructure; and shows either technical or commercial innovation.
The ambition for the fund is to incentivise local authorities to work with industry to introduce public EV charging infrastructure in their communities that will ensure fairer access to electric vehicle charge points. This ties into PA’s prior expertise in the area, as in 2021, the advisory brand partnered with the Royal College of Art to help produce a new design for Britain’s electric vehicle charge points.
Warwick Goodall, transport and net-zero mobility expert at PA, commented, “Ending the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 is key to the UK government’s plans to address the climate emergency. With significant funding now committed to the rollout of EV charging, we look forward to working together with OZEV, Local Authorities and industry to facilitate local EV infrastructure grants that will accelerate the chargepoint rollout ambitions and bring to life the electric vehicle revolution on our streets.”
PA’s transport experts work with governments, regulators, transport operators and infrastructure providers to devise strategies and harness new technologies to plan for the future of travel. In March, the firm strengthened the team further with the arrival of new Partner Tayo Oyetan.
Source: consultancy
