Today the government has unveiled a new plan to drive the electric vehicle (EV) charging rollout faster.

To this end, £16 million in funding has been made available to support EV smart charging technologies, including a smart street lamppost and projects that will enable appliances, including heat pumps to integrate into a smarter grid.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has committed to working with Ofgem on removing the barriers that currently prevent the development of a competitive smart charging market.

Ministers believe that customers can save up to £1,000 a year by using smarter charging.

Energy and Climate Minister Graham Stuart said: “We want to make smart charging an easier choice for drivers of EVs, whether that is charging on the driveway, at the workplace, or parked on the street. To do that we need to build new network infrastructure at pace, using the latest available technologies.

“Today’s plan sets out how we will work with Ofgem and industry to kickstart the market for smart charging, which we are backing it up with £16 million in innovation funding. This will let people take control of their energy usage, in the most convenient and low-cost way.”