Currently reading: Government backs Polar EV network
New electric vehicle charging network will put 4000 charging points by the end of next year

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has pledged his support to the UK’s first privately funded nationwide EV charging network, which was launched today.

The Polar scheme, which is administered by London-based company Chargemaster, plans to install 4000 electric vehicle charging bays in 100 towns and cities by the end of next year. The scheme will start in the south and Midlands and spread northwards.

Access to the Polar network will be via a monthly subscription, which will initially be set at £24.50, plus a payment of 90 pence each time a charging unit is used. This provides “fuel” for up to 100 miles of electric car driving compared. Other tariffs are available for business users, as well as for private subscribers who solely charge at home or at public points.

Subscribers are issued with a swipe card with which to access the public charging points. Installation of a Polar charging point at a subscribers’ home will involve a one-off cost of £95. Subscribers get installation of their home charging point, access to the 4000 public bays, plus a range of member benefits including discounts on parking, hotels and restaurants.

Also part of the package is a smart phone app that can inform users of their car’s current charge status, where local charge points are and whether the points are free for use at a particular point in time.

Hammond described Polar as, “Exactly the kind of private sector-led initiative that we need to drive the development of our national network of recharging infrastructure”.

Polar is intended to complement the Government’s Plugged in Places (PiP) EV charging network, which exists in eight UK regions.

Polar also has support from Nissan, Renault and Vauxhall.

Advertisement

Latest business news

99 bmw ix vs mercedes eqs 2022 lead 0 0
From 2024, 22% of a car maker's sales must be BEVs – or it faces a £15,000 fine for every car that does not conform
Editor's letter: EV sales must increase by 50% in 2024 – how?
93 ev charger suppliers under scrutiny podpoint
PodPoint recently switched focus from fast public devices to home and workplace charging
EV charger companies switch tactics in search for elusive profits
Volvo car charging
From 2024, car makers will need to show that 45% of an EV's value originated in the UK or EU to remain tariff-free
EU proposes three-year delay to UK rules of origin tariffs
geneva motor show floor 2018
The Geneva motor show hasn't been held since 2019, due to the pandemic and its after-effects
Geneva motor show 2024: MG confirmed and BYD likely
Add a comment…